States and their proxies are using tactics including cyberattacks, espionage, foreign investment and research collaborations to steal intellectual property and research data, said Jody Thomas, national security and intelligence advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She cited China, Iran, India and Russia as countries that engage in foreign interference. Thomas was speaking at an Ottawa event hosted by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. (The Logic)

Talking point: Alongside a furor over allegations that Beijing has tried to manipulate Canada’s democratic process, the Liberal government faces scrutiny over how it addresses commercial and academic relationships between domestic groups and those in non-allied states. Ottawa has mooted a range of new rules, rolling out new requirements for research partnerships and foreign investments, particularly in sensitive technology sectors. Critics say deals are still slipping through. Thomas cited “economic security and protection of emerging technologies” as priorities, but said the government needs industry and academia cooperation. Still, “we need to be doing more at home” in order to have “a meaningful seat at the table” with Five Eyes partners, she acknowledged.