The head of Canada’s spy agency issued a stark warning this week, highlighting a dramatic shift in the domestic threat landscape as violent extremism increasingly takes root among young Canadians. In his first annual public address, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director Dan Rogers outlined how foreign state threats are compounding internal security risks, painting a picture of a “more complex and dynamic” environment than in recent memory.
Rogers emphasized that the threat of violence motivated by extreme views “persists as one of Canada’s most significant national security concerns.” Alarmingly, the age demographic is skewing younger, driven by online radicalization. “Worryingly, nearly one in ten terrorism investigations at CSIS now includes at least one subject of investigation under the age of 18,” Rogers stated at the National Art Centre in downtown Ottawa on Thursday, November 13, 2025. He noted that these young individuals are “easily access[ing] and amplify[ing] content online that radicalizes them,” often operating secretly and anonymously without direct in-person instruction.
The Rise of Youth Radicalization and Case Examples
The spy chief provided concrete examples of this frightening trend. He cited the August 2025 arrest of a minor in Montreal who was allegedly planning an attack on behalf of Daesh (ISIS). Furthermore, he referenced the charges laid against two 15-year-olds in late 2023 and early 2024 in Ottawa for allegedly conspiring to conduct a mass casualty attack targeting the Jewish community. These cases underscore the severe consequences when radicalized youth resort to violence, prompting a joint public report by CSIS and its allies in December 2024 to provide advice to parents and guardians.
Beyond domestic extremism, Rogers clearly identified four hostile state actors posing the most significant threat to Canadian sovereignty and interests: Russia, China, Iran, and India. He specifically warned that China and Russia are actively spying on Canadian governments and businesses in the Arctic, a region of growing strategic and economic interest. Russia was also singled out for using “illicit procurement networks” and European-based front companies to illegally acquire Canadian technology to support its military.
Iran was highlighted for its engagement in transnational repression, with Rogers revealing that CSIS had to shift its operations to counter the Iranian intelligence services. “In more than one case, this involved detecting, investigating and disrupting potentially lethal threats against individuals in Canada,” he disclosed. The collective activities of these states—espionage, foreign interference, and transnational repression—were described as severely challenging Canada’s democratic institutions and social cohesion.
The Director concluded that the combination of eroding social cohesion, increasing polarization, and easy access to extremist content online creates “fertile ground for radicalization.” As CSIS dedicates more resources to countering foreign interference, the challenge of preventing attacks by self-radicalized individuals remains critical. His address served as an urgent call for not only intelligence and law enforcement action, but also for societal support to curb radicalization before it reaches the point of violence.
