Canada on Friday launched consultations on its plan to introduce a foreign agent registry, following several reports of Chinese interference in recent elections.
“We are at a critical juncture when it comes to the security of our democratic institutions,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told a news conference in Ottawa.
“And now we’re taking another step in protecting them,” he said. “Today, I’m announcing the launch of consultations to guide how we will set up a new foreign influence transparency registry in Canada.”
The goal of the registry, he said, is to promote transparency in regards to legitimate foreign state lobbying activities.
Expected to be similar to registries in Australia and the United States, it would also “mitigate foreign state activities that go beyond legitimate diplomacy in an attempt to clandestinely or deceptively manipulate Canada’s open democracy, economy and society,” and protect Canada’s institutions from foreign interference, he said.
The consultations will wrap up on May 9. Mendicino, however, made no commitment on a timeline for the registry’s rollout.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has faced growing pressure to act after Canadian media, citing unnamed intelligence sources and classified documents, reported that China sought to sway the outcomes of Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections.
This involved alleged secret financing or involvement in the campaigns of certain candidates during voting in 2019 and 2021.
The accusations, which China has denied, have also become the focus of parliamentary committee hearings and investigations by Canada’s elections agency.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s spy agencies have declined to confirm the reports.
But he said this week that he would appoint a special investigator to take a broad look into alleged foreign interference.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, meanwhile, testified at a parliamentary hearing on Thursday that the government had last fall denied a diplomatic visa for a Chinese political operative.
“If we have any form of clear evidence of any wrongdoing, we will send diplomats packing very, very, very quickly,” she added.
