Intelligence Conversations with Dennis Molinaro

Send us Fan Mail

Intelligence Conversations | Dennis Molinaro — Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China’s Secret War Against Canada

In this episode of Intelligence Conversations, Neil Bisson — retired CSIS intelligence officer and Director of the Global Intelligence Knowledge Network — sits down with historian and national security researcher Dennis Molinaro to discuss his important new book, Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China’s Secret War Against Canada.

Molinaro lays out how the Chinese Communist Party has quietly built a long-term campaign against Canada that extends far beyond traditional espionage. From political interference and diaspora intimidation, to technology transfer, economic leverage, and covert influence operations, this conversation explores how modern state power is exercised in ways that often remain invisible to the public — and underappreciated by policymakers.

Neil and Dennis examine how intelligence services operate in this evolving threat environment, why Canada has become an attractive and vulnerable target, and how seemingly ordinary sectors — including academia, business, and emerging technologies — increasingly sit on the front lines of geopolitical competition.

They also discuss how data-rich technologies and connected systems are changing the espionage landscape, blurring the lines between commerce, infrastructure, and intelligence collection.

This is a wide-ranging, grounded discussion that connects history, intelligence tradecraft, and present-day national security realities — and offers Canadians a clearer understanding of the pressures being applied to Canada today.

📘 Dennis Molinaro is the author of Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China’s Secret War Against Canada.

🎧 If you enjoy in-depth intelligence conversations like this, be sure to follow Intelligence Conversations and Global Intelligence Weekly Wrap-Up for ongoing analysis and insight.

🇨🇦 Stay curious, stay informed, and stay safe.

Support the show