Mendicino: The foreign agent registry would need an equity lens, could be part of the “toolbox”.

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.

“There is historical context when it comes to some of the communities in this country and their relationship to them [security] authorities and the law enforcement community,” Mendicino told the House Committee on Canada-China Relations Monday night.

“We need agencies that are inclusive, diverse and culturally sensitive.”

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.

But the government has yet to formally launch this consultation.

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.

Mendicino told the committee that Ottawa must be careful not to isolate communities that have felt under the microscope of security agencies. He also told reporters after his testimony that Ottawa is taking the idea to its own advisory boards before soliciting public input.

“I wouldn’t call it hesitation; I think we have to be diligent and thoughtful and inclusive in engaging all Canadians in modernizing the tools and arsenal that we are creating for our national security and intelligence communities,” he told the committee.

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.

“As we look at each of the examples of tools we might consult, including the Foreign Agent Registry, I want to prevent the members of this committee from jumping to the conclusion that each of these tools will work on its own. ” he said.

Conservative public safety critic Raquel Dancho accused the Liberals of delaying the establishment of a register.

“Anything stopping it would just be an excuse at this point. I think any government operating through legitimate diplomatic relations in Canada should welcome an official registry,” she said in an interview between testimonies.

“That should be something like the cost of doing business in Canada through diplomatic relations.”

Mendicino appeared before the committee on the basis of 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, proponents 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 had visited the Toronto-area locations in uniform to gather information and to be seen.

She believes this prompted tips from the public, noting that at least one of the apparent police stations appeared to have been operating in the back room of a commercial enterprise.

Lucki noted that no one had been charged in connection with these so-called police stations and suggested informing the public if this was the case.

Similarly, Mendicino said the public would be alerted if diplomats were ordered to leave Canada in relation to the issue.

But NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson questioned how police are handling tips from communities claiming to be under attack from foreign states.

The Edmonton MP said voters who are Uyghur or Hong Kong residents have reported being swapped between the RCMP, local police and a hotline operated by the RCMP, and local police don’t seem to know how they are to deal with the reports.

“We hear a very different story from people living in these communities,” McPherson said.

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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