For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
CTV
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the "Countering Foreign Interference Act" so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Bill C-70 expands the powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), criminalizes specific foreign interference activities and will create a new foreign influence registry.
The act was tabled in the House of Commons the same day the RCMP announced the arrests of three men for the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
"Anyone who is under threat feels abandoned. You're told your life could be at risk – but you're left on your own. This legislation addresses many of the concerns of our community," Balpreet Singh of the World Sikh Organization (WSO) said.
Bill C-70 seeks to amend the CSIS Act and would allow the spy agency to share intelligence with provinces, municipalities, private companies and community groups.
Singh, who is legal counsel for the WSO, says in the months before and after Nijjar's murder, the Sikh community was repeatedly told that the current legislative framework tied CSIS's hands. Valuable information such as risks and threats were not shared with other agencies, like local police, who could have intervened.
"We had local police forces ask us what information we have… It shouldn't be broken telephone," Singh said.
