Stephen Harper joined ex-spymasters in company investing in Israeli security tech

Former prime minister Stephen Harper is working with former leaders of three major intelligence agencies theMossad, the CIA and MI5 in a Canadianprivate investmentcompany.

AWZ Ventures invests in Israeli cybersecurity, intelligence and physical security technologies.

Despite the many prominent individuals behind it, the companyremains low-profile in Canada.

The head office of AWZ (pronounced Oz) Ventures isat 20 Eglinton Ave. West in Toronto, on the 10th floor of an office tower at the corner of Yonge Street.

Harper is one of AWZ's partners and president of its advisory committee.

A glance at the company's website shows that, along withthe former prime minister, AWZ has assembledan impressive listof leaders from the counter-intelligence and business worlds.

According to his bio, the company's founder and managing partner, Yaron Ashkenazi, served for a decade in the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) VIP Protection Division, leading teams that protected several Israeli prime ministers.

Edward Sonshine, founding partner ofAWZand chairman of the board, is the founder of RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the building that houses AWZ Ventures.

Former Conservative public safety minister Stockwell Day is also involved with the company.

AWZ Ventures has recruited former executives of the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. They includeHaim Tomerwho spent more than 30 years with the agency,servingas head of Mossad's intelligence, counter-terrorismandinternational divisions and Gary Barnea, a former deputy director of Mossad's special operations division.

Richard Fadden, former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and a former national security adviser to Harper,also works for the company.

Fadden sits on AWZ Ventures' advisory committee. In an interview with Radio-Canada, he describedthe business philosophy of founderAshkenazi, who he saidreached out to him after attending a conference where Fadden was a speaker.

"Yaron has had a lot of contact with the Israeli security community. But more to the point, Israel is very successful in developing new technology, both for the private sector and for government,"said Fadden.

"He decided you'll have to ask him but I think he decided it would be a good way to make some moneywhile promoting some companies from his home country."

Ashkenaziturned down Radio-Canada's request for an interview, saying the company is"extremely occupied with a few major deals."

"We are keeping a 'below the radar' position at this point," he added.

Harper, who joined the company in 2019, did not reply to Radio-Canada'sinterview request.

The company's website saysAWZ Ventures was launched in 2016. According toOntario governmentrecords,it wasincorporated in 2013.

Two major figures fromU.S. and U.K. intelligence circles are also part of AWZ Ventures former CIA director James Woolsey and former MI5 director general Stella Rimington.

"I think they are like many other investment, venture companies on the planet. They picked an area where they think they can make some bucks,"FaddensaidofAWZ Ventures' leadership.

The company manages $130 millionand has invested in 17 companies, according to its website. All of those companies have beenIsraeli so far, said Fadden.

"A lot of this technology is useful in fighting terrorism and that was my main interest," he said. "Some of the technology that has been developed helps develop a sense of what's going on, on the one level on social media, so you can accumulate information. But mostly it's defensive."

As an example of AWZ's targeted investments,Faddencited aninvestmentin what he calls "cybersafe control mechanisms for trains or planes. The idea is to simply develop technology that protects whomever from attacks, mostly cyberattacks these days."

Israel is not a NATO member, nor is it part of the Five Eyes the intelligence-sharingalliancethat includesCanada, the United States, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.Fadden said he's comfortable with helping toadvance technologicaldevelopment in Israel, a friendly country.

"We have a very firm policy that there are a number of companies that we do not invest in, that we do not sell to in any shape, way or fashion," he said."For example, we don't deal with China or Russia, just to pick two."

The companies that have benefited from AWZ Ventures' investments includeNanoLock which has developeda remote toolfor protecting internet-connected devices from unauthorized access andAssac, which has come up withan "anti-tapping, anti-hacking and threat management product available for the emerging corporate smartphone security and encryption market,"according to AWZ Ventures' website.

The Israeli cyber-tech sectorcontinues to grow at arecord pace despite the pandemic, according to the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD).The Israeli government agency said the sectorraised $2.9 billion in 2020 an increase of more than 70 per cent overthe same period inthe previous year.

The sum of investments in such technologyin Israel hasreached 31 per centof the value ofsuchinvestments worldwide, according to INCD.