Testifying before a parliamentary committee and speaking to reporters on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, foreign affairs deputy minister David Morrison and Nathalie Drouin, national security adviser to Prime Minister Mark Carney, said foreign adversaries are likely to use the increasingly popular artificial intelligence technology
The use of AI to disrupt the election could come from foreign actors or even those just trying to cause mischief.
They pointed to the rise of deepfakes — hyperrealistic synthetic or manipulated images and video generated with AI — in particular.
During the 2025 federal election, both China and Russia attempted to engage in foreign interference activities. Officials will be watching for potential interference, regardless of where it comes from, including the United States.
Drouin said, “We will monitor the situation in an agnostic way — regardless of which country tries to engage in foreign interference.”
US officials have publicly confined they met with Alberta separatist campaigners in Washington, D.C.
“I think we should let them come down into the US, and Alberta’s a natural partner for the U.S. They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in January, adding there’s a “rumour that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not.”
Bessent added, “People are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the US has got.”
Sources:
Elizabeth Thompson, CBC: Canada’s next election likely to face AI-assisted interference, watchdogs say https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-artificial-intelligence-deepfakes-9.7072792
Alex Boutilier, Global News: Canada expects U.S. to stay out of domestic affairs: national security official https://globalnews.ca/news/11651100/canada-expects-us-out-of-domestic-affairs/
Related:
High ranking Trump official invites Alberta separatists to join the US https://natsec.ca/2026/trump-official-alberta-separatists/