VANCOUVER – An American lawyer stripped of his security clearance by U.S. President Donald Trump says Canadians need to be “vigilant” about attacks on political freedom south of the border.
Mark Zaid, a speaker at the Web Summit Vancouver tech conference, also says Canadians need to be wary of the rise of artificial intelligence that could be used to either target political dissent or “shield” it.
Zaid is co-founder of the non-profit Whistleblower Aid and says Canada is not immune to the forces that have shaped American political culture under Trump, as the two countries “share so much in common.”
Zaid is suing Trump and others after the president stripped him of his security clearance at the same time as former president Joe Biden and other political figures.
The lawyer had represented a whistleblower in the first Trump administration.
Zaid — who says he didn’t bring his cellphone across the border in case it got confiscated on his return — says artificial intelligence is at the “forefront” of political developments in the U.S. and elsewhere.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
