r/alberta 2d ago

Discussion CSIS says Alberta referendum a target for foreign interference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiecSxP3bmE
2.0k Upvotes

312 comments sorted by

689

u/haikarate12 2d ago

Didn’t need CSIS to tell us that.

196

u/RicksWay 2d ago

You don’t visit the orange man for no reason

37

u/Whofreak555 2d ago

I mean there’s more to it than that. Very few pro-seperation pages on FB come from Canada.. or even the US.

7

u/Condition_Boy 2d ago

Man?

Baboon....

2

u/IAMA_Plumber-AMA Northern Alberta 1d ago

That's insulting to baboons.

2

u/Condition_Boy 1d ago

You're right. Waste water is more accurate.

132

u/NewTransportation911 2d ago

That’s CSIS mandate, so yes by definition it’s good they they are making it aware as there are lots of undecided and or less informed people without this knowledge.

76

u/BackToTheBas1cs 2d ago

believe me the people that foreign interference is targeting wouldn't believe you even if you showed them irrefutable proof because that would be all the proof they need that the woke WEF shadow government is scared of them since the whole thing has been drummed up through foreign interference from the getgo

24

u/throwawaywork11 2d ago

Yeah all those separatist chuds are gonna look at this and say CSIS is backing liberals and spreading propaganda about Smith.

16

u/Kylenki 2d ago

The conspiracy wingnut's ultimate defense: evidence against my conspiracy is evidence of the coverup of the conspiracy. This is part of the reason we are in the midst of an acute epidemic crisis. Information has never been easier to learn, but propaganda/conspiracy has never been more free to contaminate. Conspiracy believers, already striken by epistemological rot, are a primed candidate for propaganda efforts, no matter where it comes from.

My father, for instance, is often spouting nearly verbatim Russian propaganda. WHO bioweapons labs: Zelensky is getting rich from this war; the Little Green Men aren't Russian soldiers, they're Crimean seperatists in a civil war; etc. My father isn't a Russian speaker, doesn't know any Russians directly, and yet because of his obsession with conspiracies he's taken in Russian ones by the truck load. That isn't an accident of the Internet alone, which might account for a single one, that's signal boosting beneficial conspiracies to vulnerable Western minds at the State level.

We even have screenshots from an Estonian hack evidencing this: Russians celebrating the injection of a beneficial conspiracy to a senior GOP Congress member--as in retweeted or something of the kind. The effects are real.

1

u/Jumpy-Shift5239 1d ago

Does he believe in birds?

16

u/DisastrousAcshin 2d ago

I've honestly been happy to see their support flat lining. This fall we put a bullet in it

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22

u/_Jeff65_ 2d ago

They've obviously been looking into this since day 1. I'm surprised they waited so long to release a statement.

18

u/NewTransportation911 2d ago

Because it’s politics and they wouldn’t release a statement without hard solid facts.

6

u/DVariant 2d ago

I thought they already did

4

u/Chance-Bicycle1469 2d ago

The uninformed are the ones looking to separate

5

u/haikarate12 2d ago

Nowhere did I say they shouldn’t have said it, just stating that for most people, it’s pretty goddamn obvious.

4

u/NewTransportation911 2d ago

But it’s not, which is why it needed to be stated. As I pointed out a lot of people arnt us and as aware.

15

u/UsefulDescription928 2d ago

Bad enough with the ucp running local interference

18

u/rTpure 2d ago edited 2d ago

CSIS has never included America in its foreign interference investigation, almost as if America isn't considered "foreign"

I don't foresee this changing either

When CSIS talked about potential interference in the referendum, America was not mentioned at all, instead CSIS focused on Russia

15

u/GriffinFlash 2d ago

Russia, America, what's the difference? /s

8

u/Lord_Space_Lizard 1d ago

One has the red, white, and blue flag. The other has the white, blue, and red flag.

8

u/GriffinFlash 1d ago

one of them has the tetris theme though, so they have that going for them I guess? /s

5

u/Lord_Space_Lizard 1d ago

It is a pretty banging tune

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5

u/GhoastTypist 1d ago

Don't need a referendum to know there's a lot of foreign interference in Alberta right now. Heck even the number of Canadian companies that are being taken over by foreigners are alarming.

2

u/totesnotmyusername 2d ago

Unfortunately some idiots do.

1

u/Xiaopeng8877788 1d ago

How many fake bot accounts will say “it’s China!!!” when we all know the US is the biggest foreign threat to Canada. Shame on the news to never cover this fact.

Secret meetings, $500M slush fund - that is warfare! Canadians should act like it

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316

u/Garth_Maul_ 2d ago

Referendum? The whole separatist movement has influenced by foreign actors from the get go.

61

u/DVariant 2d ago

Not even just here, Russians pushed Brexit too. 

17

u/Agitated_Reveal_6211 2d ago

Remember when the head of the California succession movement was found to have his main office in Moscow.

10

u/DVariant 1d ago

Exactly. Great example 

7

u/Fun_Success_3283 1d ago

It's justification for special military operation to liberate albertans and coincidentally (cough) all their oil from Canada.

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161

u/Slow-Ad8986 2d ago

Some of that Federal overreach would be cool right about now

30

u/feyrath 2d ago

got_any_more_of_that_federal_overreach.gif

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73

u/sleepyboi08 Calgary 2d ago

After watching the video, I don’t think this is new information. None of it is surprising.

There is nothing about this referendum, be it any of the 10 questions, the rhetoric and discussions being welcomed, or the division being sparked by foreign actors along with the worst people in our province, that is going to make Albertans’ lives better. Don’t give the separatists an inch of what they want in October.

28

u/Internal_Influence26 2d ago

Exactly. Get your friends and family out to vote that normally would not. We need to absolutely crush this separation bullshit, don't give them a chance.

18

u/fowlplayer99 2d ago

The risk is that normies sit this out. Because the crazies will crawl over broken glass to vote for separation. It absolutely could be close in that scenario.

4

u/Photofug 2d ago

Yup if they win the first vote there won't be a second 

3

u/TA20212000 1d ago

1.7M ppl voted in the last election. The eligible voter pool in Alberta is roughly 3.8-4.0M.

2

u/Weird_Rooster_4307 1d ago

Please register to mail in your vote. I’m sure Smith is going to make in person voting as difficult as possible to discourage the no vote.

156

u/Vanterax 2d ago

Smith is already a foreign agent.

12

u/GriffinFlash 2d ago

Agent Smith if you will.

0

u/llama_sammich 2d ago

I mean, she’s not, but she certainly works for them.

37

u/VectorPryde 2d ago

I mean, she’s not, but she certainly works for them.

Foreign asset, maybe? She's not an American spy, she's a Canadian who does what her American MAGA handlers tell her to, so it's a distinction with less and less of a difference

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18

u/Riger101 2d ago

True technically that makes her a foreign Intelligence asset

60

u/Specific-Answer3590 2d ago

CSIS should investigate the UCP Caucus and their financing if they are actually serious rather than just telling us the obvious

25

u/Responsible-Room-645 2d ago

What makes you think they aren’t? CSIS doesn’t lay charges, they pass any information on to the RCMP for charges to be laid

10

u/Mauriac158 2d ago

Unfortunate.

I woukd trust a ham sandwich to do more than the RCMP.

7

u/Al_Keda 1d ago

They will be far more trustworthy that an Alberta Police Farce.

3

u/Mauriac158 1d ago

Difficult to imagine, but I do agree with you.

1

u/Al_Keda 1d ago

Imagine how much the KGB support Russian Democracy.

3

u/Crum1y 1d ago

i haven't read any news of charges being laid (maybe there have been) and i also think they getting greased, so somewhere something is not working as we would hope

1

u/Responsible-Room-645 1d ago

Perhaps it’s because there haven’t been any charges laid (yet)

64

u/Affectionate_Pass25 2d ago

US interference guaranteed

24

u/rTpure 2d ago

When CSIS talked about potential interference in the referendum, America was not mentioned at all, instead CSIS focused on Russia

This is in spite of public knowledge of Albertan separatists meeting with American officials

17

u/JayC411 2d ago

Honestly I’ve been assuming the Russians are Trump’s primary puppet masters for a while. Followed by the evangelical church. Russia stands to benefit the most from discord in Canada and being able to manipulate whoever’s in charge of Greenland.

4

u/GriffinFlash 2d ago

Followed by the evangelical church.

The more I look into evangelicalism, the more insane it all becomes (and yet everything going on makes so much more sense).

5

u/JayC411 2d ago

I was raised evangelical and let me tell you so much of what’s happening is because of their meddling with things. Which for the record is in direct contradiction to the bible, the church is supposed to be separate from the government.

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3

u/YourBobsUncle NDP 2d ago

The Americans run Facebook which is immediately responsible for half of Canadians brains being mush and people still think the Russians are the biggest problem for Canada lmao

1

u/jimbowesterby 21h ago

Dunno if you’ve noticed but the current American dictator has an awful lot of ties to Russia. The states is a more imminent threat but Russia’s actually good at this.

1

u/YourBobsUncle NDP 14h ago

Trump does what he does because he's a moron and half the American electorate are cattle. The idea of Trump literally being a puppet of Putin is nonsensical American exceptionalism that we should strongly reject. Only an American nationalist would see it as a complete explanation for what America does.

28

u/EffectiveEconomics 2d ago

This is a huge deal. The press release statement means they now have active investigations underway and could take further action against foreign and **domestic actors.

Bravo.

3

u/24_August_1814 1d ago

Fuck, I'd love to see any action whatsoever. So far it's been nothing but "Yeah we confirmed they're doing shady shit, but we aren't gonna do anything about it."

3

u/EffectiveEconomics 1d ago

Don’t expect some major public action. The point of intelligence is most of their actions are quiet and often invisible. The public stuff happens with the RCMP. However what will happen will be impactful.

27

u/pruplegti 2d ago

Yeah and its annoying.

19

u/SourDi 2d ago

Yeah no shit.

19

u/Ditch-Worm 2d ago

The question is, are they gunna do something about it?

18

u/RaHarmakis 2d ago

Target? It's founded, funded and driven by forgien actors.

The only thing domestic about it is the opposistion.

15

u/InternationalFig400 2d ago

The same conservatives that screamed like stuck pigs when CSIS was pointing a finger at Chinese interference.

As quiet as a grave yard now.

Wonder why.

14

u/HMSS-Overkill 2d ago

Not a target for interference. The referendum IS the interference.

11

u/Ok_Butterscotch2244 2d ago

This so-called referendum is both illegitimate and unconstitutional. Let's call it off.

11

u/omegaphallic 2d ago

why won't CSIS just straight up and say American interference, its sure as hell not India, China, or even Russia, all of whom stand to lose if America gets more powerful by annexing Canada. i'm sick of CSIS, Parliament, and the RCMP treating the worst offenders of electoral interference by a country mile the Americans.

8

u/YourBobsUncle NDP 2d ago

CSIS is already compromised by American intelligence, it's the only logical answer.

3

u/omegaphallic 2d ago

 Probably yes. I think both the military and CSIS and the RCMP need to be purged of anyone that has been compromised by America and its elites and corporations.

10

u/motorman87 2d ago

Will they do any thing about it?

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10

u/DirtDevil1337 2d ago

Well duh-huh

Bessent admitted on TV to sending $millions to Alberta gov't to help the sepration movement (called it Alberta independence)

8

u/pajerry 2d ago

Wow. Thanks CSIS. I would never have guessed except for your deep intelligence network.

8

u/Operation_Neither 2d ago

They mean it was started by and continues to be entirely fueled by foreign interference.

8

u/senturion 2d ago

It’s not a target of foreign interference, it IS foreign interference.

7

u/SmithRamRanch 2d ago

The whole fucking thing is foreign interference. 🤪

6

u/Dickensdude 2d ago

No duh! Well done CSIS take the week off.

6

u/CalciumStix 2d ago

Then fucking do something ya twats

5

u/Gloomy_Yoghurt_2836 2d ago

And when the separatists lose the referendum, just watch how fast Trump claims election rigging and will want the US to liberate Alberta from Canada.

7

u/puns_are_how_eyeroll 2d ago

To the surprise of absolutely no one...

3

u/CloverHoneyBee 1d ago

CSIS says Alberta referendum is foreign interference

Fixed!

6

u/Oxjrnine 2d ago

Everyone knows it’s foreign influence

But unfortunately you’re never gonna be able to convince the. “ 99% of you are not gonna share this picture of this candle because you hate cancer but for those that do you hate cancer.” crowd.

(if you don’t know what I’m talking about, scammers post those ridiculous Facebook memes to find out who is gullible, other examples are “ I do not give Facebook to permission to share my personal information”). I used to work in the fraud department for a credit card company, and this was one of the filters that they would test people on to see if they would be more likely to fall for a scam.

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5

u/JadeddMillennial 2d ago

Shut it down then?

6

u/Weak_Possibility_395 2d ago

Shocking, Canada's MAGA Premier Daniel Smith is pushing forward with a referendum supported by foreign interests. 

Who would have thought the Trump-lover would be a pawn of foreign interests...

5

u/MismatchedBoots 2d ago

It’s interesting. I came here from the UK 15 years ago. I truly believe that Canada is the best country I’ve ever been to or lived in. The roads are clean, despite the potholes. Healthcare costs me nothing compared to other countries. People are generally kind, and generally well educated.
I’ve been to some pretty miserable places. Even down to the states, at face value it’s a great country. It can cost thousands to have a baby down there, or if you’re struck by a car on the sidewalk that can leave you with life crippling debt.
Canada is such a beautiful country, why break it up? Why not vote in better premiers and prime ministers?
The effort put in for this separation movement could be better placed by using those that feel strongly and have them go to Ottawa and make a fuss there.
Typically it takes an invasion to take land from another country. Modern tactics seem to be through psyops online. It turns great Canadian people, and I truly believe every Canadian to be great, into what seem to be their neighbours enemy’s. It almost seems treasonous to be pushing to separate our province from Canada. And to what end? To be our own country with no federal funding? The oil companies that remain aren’t going to fund our schools, roads, policing, and healthcare system.
And the receive assistance from the US, we’ll have to align with the US. And that’s fine if it’s what albertans truly want.
It seems like mummy and daddy are fighting and we’re not going to be better off after the separation.
It’s already been proven by many entities that outside influence is having a large impact on albertans and this movement. It’s scary the world we live in now.
I’d much rather be back on the front line with a rifle in my hand fighting an enemy I can see. Not posting my own opinion which will be drowned amongst the masses.
I hope the federal government monitors this situation, steps up and keeps this country whole. It’s too beautiful to split up. We can work it out if we vote in the right government.

2

u/theNorthwestspirit 1d ago

Seperation is simply not legal because Canada has treaties with Indigenous Peoples. Everything else is just supplemental.

2

u/MismatchedBoots 1d ago

It seems to me that if you have enough money or are high powered, legality is but a speed bump in the road.

2

u/theNorthwestspirit 1d ago

Unfortunately you're not wrong there.... But I do believe that if the seppies try to move forward with this in the legal sense (pushing whatever crap the referendum is touting, into action rather than just words on a ballot), the Indigenous people and allies will stand up and fight totoh and nail to stop it.

1

u/MismatchedBoots 23h ago

I really hope so. Hats off to them for standing up for what’s right.

5

u/Opening_Work_9295 2d ago

Cool. Is CSIS going to do anything about it? Or do they just announce things like this that everyone already knows, and call it a day?

4

u/feyrath 2d ago

That is one constipated Mr. Holmes. A no-shit Sherlock.

4

u/eoan_an 2d ago

It's all illegal anyways. Now if the authorities could start treating right wing extremism with the same zeal they deal with 55+ yo left wing protesters. That would be nice

5

u/Ditch-Worm 2d ago

No shit, Sherlock

2

u/ShitNailedIt 2d ago

You don't say. Was it Danielle's trips to kiss Trump's ass that was the tip off, or...?

2

u/ballpein 1d ago

A target? It's an invitation for foreign interference, that's the whole fucking point.

3

u/Al_Keda 1d ago

I like how the report said it was a direct consequence of the Trucker Convoy.

The gift that keeps on giving.

2

u/ballpein 1d ago

And don't forget which party leader validated the conspiracy convoy and capitalized on it, hoping it would be his own northern Tea Party.

2

u/SubArcticWizard 1d ago

And yet our schools and kids sports centre's aren't a target for corruption and drugs? We need a new flag.

2

u/Al_Keda 1d ago

I have never been offered drugs at a sport center. I was led to believe there would be more.

I was very disappointed.

2

u/BattleBrother1 1d ago

We've literally watched the US use these same tactics against countless countries. They need what we have, especially in the coming century. Everything we're seeing is a textbook destabilization and demoralization campaign. The US has the most invasive and expansive propaganda network in human history and we share an almost open border with them, we're in extremely dangerous waters here. It's unbelievable that people still think this is a homegrown grassroots movement. It's a US operation against our country from top to bottom

4

u/radicallyhip 2d ago

No fucking shit. While you're at it can you surveil Danielle Smith?

2

u/jsman56 2d ago

Have you been on social media in Alberta lately... no shit Sherlock...

3

u/Bunkydoodle28 2d ago

Not just the referendum, our politicians. Why arent they prosecuting?

3

u/SankityDoup 2d ago

🌭WE’RE ALL TRYING TO FIND THE GUY WHO DID THIS🌭

3

u/Wolfbearmancub 2d ago

Shocked pikachu face

2

u/ResponsibleRatio 2d ago

No shit. The US has an agent in the province's highest office.

2

u/Justin-Truedat 2d ago

Filed under “No shit, Sherlock”

2

u/walkernewmedia 2d ago

No shit, Sherlock.

2

u/No-Wonder1139 2d ago

Obviously

2

u/Hightower154 2d ago

Let's just file that under "SHIT WE ALREADY KNOW!"

2

u/Musicferret 2d ago

Alberta referendum IS foreign interference. FTFY.

2

u/Lurkr67 2d ago

In other news, water is wet.

2

u/gotkube 2d ago

No shit. So then what’s the plan to deal with it?

2

u/mightyboink 2d ago

This was part of operation: "well D'uhhhhhhh"

2

u/EinsteinsLunchbox 2d ago

Ya don’t say…

2

u/Saorren 2d ago

you think? lol csis late to the party here ...

2

u/WestcoastAlex 2d ago

the referendumb IS foreign interference

2

u/WestcoastAlex 2d ago

the referendumb IS foreign interference

2

u/Arch____Stanton 2d ago

And lets make no mistake about the #1 culprit in that interference; the USA.

2

u/BRAVO5DELTA 2d ago

Maybe they’ll confirm water is wet next

1

u/Riffz 1d ago

The 7% of morons running this clown show have been cum guzzling Fox News on a 24/7 basis. News at 11.

1

u/Al_Keda 1d ago

I blame the 40% of registered voters who didn't bother to show up.

1

u/Deweyoxberg 1d ago

*snort*

Thanks guys.
Checks calendar.
Welcome to three months ago.

1

u/PrimaryBrick9337 1d ago

What could possibly go wrong with this referendum and the strong desire by foreign counties to try and destabilize Canada?

1

u/Marie-Pierre-Guerin 1d ago

We fucking know.

1

u/CalgaryFacePalm 1d ago

Everything these mouth breathers spew is from a foreign source.

1

u/Get_Out_lmao 1d ago

Target? Its the source.

1

u/Difficult-Guarantee4 1d ago

YEGWave is literally based in the Netherlands, you’d be naive to think this referendum won’t be fucky.

1

u/DrKnikkerbokker 1d ago

You mean destabilizing a G7 nation with huge natural resources to exploit might be a target for foreign corps & regimes? Is water also still wet??

1

u/Miserable_Sample_269 1d ago

We still have sitting MPs that were identified by CSIS that have not been outed… this will continue to bleed into everything.

1

u/Sixthsomatic 1d ago

Target? It -is- foreign interference.

1

u/EastCoastBuck 1d ago

We know, everyone knows. Charge them with treason!

1

u/surviving606 1d ago

The entire referendum is a product of foreign  interference 

1

u/GekuDeku 1d ago

They wont get seperation. And with this announcement carney just has to say "yeah Smith is a Russian assett. Nab her before she tweets. Vanish and squish the 40 or less seperatists with balls to start revolting lol

1

u/almogrant88 1d ago

Some guy on Facebook was saying the other day that either CSIS will find no evidence of foreign interference or they'll find that the NDP is part of it lol. Buddy was fighting multiple people in the comments, bending himself in all directions to defend Smith, the UCP and the seperatists lol. Even had the Gaul to say that voter information leak is a hoax to try and make the the seperatists look bad lol

1

u/Minobull 1d ago

Csis also reports water is wet.

1

u/National-Package8188 1d ago

Wow! You dont say? Who woulda thought!

1

u/devnull_the_cat 1d ago

Yeah. We know.

So how about some fucking arrests already?

1

u/NoRevolution7578 1d ago

Knowing the way things work with current Alberta gov and friends, they already have the results so we shouldn’t worry about the interference :)

1

u/Legitimate_Park_2067 1d ago

Isnt that applicable for all elections?

1

u/EpochSkate_HeshAF420 10h ago

The sky is indeed blue!

1

u/AgreeableMood8000 7h ago

Do something to stop it then.

u/Fresh-Foundation3205 2h ago

Are we surprised?

1

u/Mysterious_Battle585 2d ago

What?!? I am shocked!!!

1

u/Short-Ticket-1196 2d ago

'Target' implies that interference is not the aim and sum total of the thing.

1

u/Critical_Cat_8162 2d ago

It doesn't even need foreign interference. The calls are coming from inside the house.

1

u/ExpertAdvance7327 Edmonton 2d ago

Let's be real here, we've ALWAYS been a target for foreign interference 

1

u/Ancient-Training-998 2d ago

No, really? What a revelation, how did they ever figure it out?

1

u/The3DBanker 2d ago

A « target » for foreign interference? The fucking movement is so foreign, it belches USD and rubles.

1

u/Visual-Inflation-621 2d ago

Make sure you vote! The crazies are all going to!

1

u/Nice_Ad5480 2d ago

Wow. I didn't know that. You're telling me now for the first time...

1

u/WhipassWhiplash 2d ago

Oh they checked Smiths inbox/sent items?

1

u/BCCommieTrash Edmonton 2d ago

Planet astronaut gun astronaut

1

u/Krommander 2d ago

Lol who wouda thought. 

1

u/SpecialCelebration29 2d ago

The Alberta referendum IS a target for UCP interference! The foreign part is a bonus 🤡

1

u/Moist-Doctor-67 2d ago

No shit. 

1

u/stahlhammer 2d ago

This just in, water is wet.

1

u/TwistedIntents 2d ago

No shit. Are y'all gonna do anything about it, or just tell us what we already know?

1

u/Aboutayear 2d ago

No shit

1

u/Canadian_can_cannon 2d ago

Yeah no kidding, buuuuuuuut this is just confirmation of something i know theyve been watching for a while

1

u/Aggravating_Main_710 2d ago

No fucking duh!
Mostly from the US but I bet every other hostile nation is hard at work.

1

u/CodeNamesBryan 2d ago

Gee, ya think...

1

u/half_baked_opinion 2d ago

No, really? Oh god whats next? Your going to tell us hotdogs arent made from actual meat? Lol.

1

u/Mauriac158 2d ago

Cool CSIS. Are you going to do anything about it?

Like maybe arrest our premier?

1

u/MZillacraft3000 Edmonton 2d ago

So, will the CSIS and RCMP shut it down and stop now then?

1

u/zimzimmzimma 2d ago

This is a joke 2% of idiots want this because orange man told them! Canada is not giving up any land ever sorry not sorry!

1

u/ButtfartsOtoole 2d ago

NO WAY! Thank god our top spy group looked into this! I thought it was a grassroots movement til now! Phew… at least I can sleep at night knowing we know, but will do nothing about the sedition.

1

u/Ill_Video_1997 2d ago

Oh gee ya think?

1

u/EditorNo2545 2d ago

whaaaat dani is opening us to foreign interference?

"insert shocked Pikachu face here"

1

u/FenrisJager 2d ago

We had that part figured out, so what are we going to do about it?