Canada pressed to create foreign agent registry

Canada pressed to create foreign agent registry
by AFP Staff Writers
Ottawa (AFP) Oct 24, 2023

A Canadian parliamentary committee probing alleged foreign interference by China and others on Tuesday renewed calls for Ottawa to create a foreign agent registry to curb meddling in its elections and democratic institutions.

Under such a registry, anyone acting on behalf of a foreign state to advance its goals would have to disclose those ties.

The United States and Australia already have such registries.

The Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics vice chair Mona Fortier told a news conference the government has already "acted on many of the issues brought forward" by the committee.

And, she said, she hoped it would incorporate the committee's findings as it "continues to fight foreign interference."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government -- which has 60 days to respond to the report -- already announced in March it would roll out a registry but has not provided a timeline or details.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau commented: "We're continuing to work on that because it's an important issue."

The committee called for educating Canadians, including lawmakers and academics, on ways to identify and defend against foreign interference.

The report also called for specifically criminalizing harassment and intimidation of Canadians by foreign actors.

The committee also suggested holding online platforms responsible for publishing false or misleading information.

The interference probe followed accusations earlier this year of Chinese meddling in Canada's last two elections and the attempted intimidation of MPs that led to the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in May.

Beijing has called those accusations "groundless."

On Monday, Canada also warned of a "Spamouflage" disinformation campaign linked to China that used waves of online posts and deepfake videos manipulated to try to disparage and discredit Canadian lawmakers.

The bot network left thousands of messages on the social media accounts of dozens of members of parliament, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, accusing them of criminal and ethical violations.

China's foreign ministry reacted angrily on Tuesday, saying Ottawa should "stop spreading lies about China and stop poisoning the atmosphere of bilateral relations."