On Tuesday, a Canadian parliamentary committee looking into claims of foreign intervention by China and other countries reaffirmed calls for Ottawa to establish a foreign agent registration in order to stop foreign influence in the country’s democratic institutions and elections.
Anyone working for a foreign power to further its objectives would have to reveal those connections under such a registry.
Such registries already exist in Australia and the United States.
At a press conference, deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics Mona Fortier stated that the government has “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 demanded that Canadians be taught how to recognize and fend off foreign meddling, especially legislators and academics.
Additionally, the report recommended that harassment and intimidation of Canadians by foreign actors be made a particular crime.
The committee recommended that online platforms be held accountable for disseminating inaccurate or misleading information.
The examination into the influence came after claims earlier in the year that China had interfered in the previous two Canadian elections and had sought to intimidate Members of Parliament, resulting in 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.”
