Exploring the Balance between Equity and Establishing a Foreign Agent Registry in Canada

OTTAWA – Public Safety Secretary Marco Mendicino says a registry to track foreign agents operating in Canada can only be implemented in step with different communities.

Speaking to the parliamentary committee on Canada-China Relations, Mendicino said some unspecified communities have felt targeted by security agencies in the past, making it harder to protect Canada.

Two months ago, the Liberals said they would finally consult the public about the possible establishment of a foreign agent registry to prevent outside interference in Canadian affairs.

The United States and Australia have public registers that require people lobbying for a foreign state to register their activities under penalty of fines or imprisonment.

But Liberals have yet to initiate the consultation, and Mendicino says Ottawa must be careful not to isolate communities that have felt under the microscope of security agencies.

Mendicino also told lawmakers that a foreign agent registry alone would not drastically change Canada’s ability to detect and respond to national security threats and would only be introduced as part of a “toolbox” of other measures.

Mendicino is appearing before the committee following a motion by lawmakers last October for senior officials to testify about three allegedly illegal police stations operating in the greater Toronto area.

Since then, advocates of Chinese democracy have claimed that China operates two other police stations in Canada, including one in Vancouver.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki told deputies that Mounties was only aware of four suspected police stations and that officers in uniform had been at the scene to gather information and be seen.

Other officials from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the RCMP and Public Safety Canada are due to testify Monday night.

The evening’s gathering follows the appearance of a Chinese balloon drifting over Canadian territory before being spotted over Montana skies, prompting opposition parties to question why Ottawa didn’t alert Canadians earlier.

Last November, the federal liberals unveiled their Indo-Pacific strategy, which calls for stronger ties with countries other than China to balance Beijing’s approach to human rights and trade.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on February 6, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

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