A Brossard, Que., man has been charged with breach of trust for allegedly using his status as a Canadian Space Agency engineer to negotiate satellite station installation agreements with Iceland on behalf of a Chinese aerospace company.
The man, 61, was the focus of an October 2019 investigation by the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET).
The investigation was launched after CSA’s security department sent information to INSET, the RCMP said in a news release Wednesday.
The man is scheduled to appear in court in Longueuil on Dec. 15.
INSET’s aim is to detect and disrupt any foreign interference. It investigates activities carried out by or on behalf of foreign actors that constitute a risk to Canada’s economy and institutions, the release says.
The CSA is part of Canada’s critical infrastructure and constitutes a strategic interest to be protected, according to the release.
“The RCMP and its partners are working with the sectors at risk to improve Canada’s response and resilience to this threat,” it says.
Internal investigation
CSA spokesperson Sarah Berjaoui said the employee stopped working for the agency in 2019.
“The CSA takes the protection of information and individuals very seriously,” Berjaoui said.
“When doubts were raised about the offender’s activities outside of working hours, the CSA took various actions, including conducting an internal investigation and restricting access to the information.”
The CSA then reported the information to authorities and has been co-operating with the investigation, she said.
The CSA continues to strengthen security to protect information, people and assets, Berjaoui said.
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