Canadian government unveils new bill aimed at countering foreign interference
CTV
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Bill C-70 proposes to, among other measures, appoint a new foreign influence transparency commissioner who would be responsible for maintaining a publicly accessible registry.
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada.
Bill C-70, the "Countering Foreign Interference Act," spans nearly 100 pages, and proposes to enact a new "Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act," and appoint a new foreign influence transparency commissioner who would be responsible for maintaining a publicly accessible registry.
Federal officials are slated to brief reporters on the range of measures within the bill on Monday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. ET.
In a weekend interview on CTV's Question Period, LeBlanc — who also serves as the minister of public safety and intergovernmental affairs — wouldn't say whether the bill would include a foreign agent registry, citing parliamentary privilege.
There have long been calls for the federal government to implement some form of register and searchable database of agents working to influence policy for foreign governments, similar to the systems in place in Australia and the United States.
Last fall, members of the House ethics committee released an 82-page report at the conclusion of their months-long study on foreign interference, and in it called on the government to act on its nearly two dozen recommendations, including putting in place a foreign agent registry "as soon as possible."
These parliamentarians took the position that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should not wait for the public inquiry into foreign election interference to wrap up before taking further steps, such as installing new tools to better protect Canada's democracy from evolving global threats.
