How an alleged Russian plot suddenly upended Canada's air cargo rules

The Labour Day long weekend was anything but restful for Bruce Rodgers.

His phone started buzzing on the Friday night and didn't stop, with dozens of emails and calls all asking the same thing: Why had air cargo imports to Canada suddenly ground to a halt?

As executive director of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) — the industry body for the national network of cargo handlers — Rodgers is used to dealing with the fallout from labour disruptions, accidents or even natural disasters. But not mysteries.

"We knew absolutely nothing. We were not aware of what transpired," he said. "Freight just wasn't moving."

Rodgers and his colleagues soon came to realize that Transport Canada had imposed radical new rules for air cargo imports from 55 mostly European countries, with no prior warning. And as a consequence, next to nothing was being accepted onto in-bound flights.

The new rules demanded proof of an "established" business relationship between shippers and recipients, with at least six shipments over the previous 90 days, as well as documented payment histories for past transactions. It's a high bar many importers couldn't reach — and one that is still causing chaos.

But the oddest thing to Rodgers was that no one would explain why.

"We attempted to get information directly from Transport Canada. They claimed that due to the Aeronautics Act, they weren't able to disclose this information with the freight forwarders, who are responsible for controlling the movement of goods. They only shared it with the airlines," he said.

Canadian cargo handlers finally figured out what was happening through conversations with their U.S. counterparts, who were grappling with the same new demands: Someone was trying to smuggle incendiary devices onto passenger and cargo jets, raising the possibility of a devastating mid-air fire.

It is only in the last two weeks that the extent of the threat has become clear. On Oct. 25, authorities in Poland arrested four people over an alleged plan to send firebombs hidden within personal massagers to addresses in Europe and beyond. The shipments are now linked to two summer fires inside cargo warehouses in Germany and the U.K. — test runs, it seems, for the targeting of trans-Atlantic flights.

"The group's goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada," Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said, with the entire plot allegedly orchestrated by Russian intelligence.

Canadian authorities are still reluctant to discuss the matter. Requests by CBC News for interviews with officials from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Public Safety Canada and Transport Canada were all declined this week.

But a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada did provide a brief statement, acknowledging that the federal government is "aware of and deeply concerned with Russia's intensifying campaign, from cyber incidents and disinformation operations to sabotage activities." The statement also notes that Ottawa raised its concerns directly to Russian officials and "unequivocally stated that any threat to the safety and security of Canadians is unacceptable."

A request for an interview with Air Canada was also declined, with the airline noting that it has a general policy of not discussing security matters.