Canadians were promised a foreign agent registry — so where is it?

Catharine Tunney · CBC News

· Posted: May 23, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

When Parliament passed a sweeping nationalist information measure past June, the Liberal authorities promised to found a overseas power transparency registry to convict proxies trying to meddle successful Canadian politics.

But astir a twelvemonth later, it remains unclear however soon the bureau volition beryllium up and running 

"I deliberation it's a immense vulnerability that needs to beryllium addressed and needs to beryllium fixed," said Dennis Molinaro, a erstwhile nationalist information expert with the national authorities who present teaches astatine Ontario Tech University.

"It sends a connection to adversaries that possibly we're not each that superior astir putting it successful spot and astir nationalist security."

During past year's outpouring sitting of Parliament, and successful a notable infinitesimal of consensus, the absorption parties agreed to assistance expedite the transition of what was past Bill C-70, the countering overseas interference bill. 

Commissioner yet to beryllium appointed

A halfway portion of the measure would necessitate those acting connected behalf of overseas states to registry with the national authorities wrong 14 days of entering an agreement. Similar overseas cause registries are already successful spot successful the U.S. and Australia and person led to constabulary crackdowns. The Liberals had been toying with the thought of introducing a registry since astatine slightest 2021.

Those caught violating the rules of the projected caller overseas power transparency registry could hazard millions of dollars successful fiscal penalties and situation time. Diplomats would beryllium exempt nether planetary law. 

The registry would beryllium overseen by an autarkic overseas power transparency commissioner, who has yet to beryllium appointed. 

A spokesperson for the Public Safety section said determination are inactive respective steps needed earlier the registry is afloat implemented. 

"Officials are moving to guarantee that the due steps are taken to make the indispensable regulations, and to acceptable up the office, including the assignment of the commissioner, portion besides gathering the IT infrastructure for a best-in-class registry," said Max Watson.  

The section did not travel up erstwhile asked if determination was a timeline for erstwhile the bureau would beryllium up and running.

Before the measure received royal assent past June, officials had said it could "take up to a year." They besides said they hoped to person it successful spot earlier the adjacent election, which didn't happen. 

The government's website present lone says the coming into unit day volition beryllium determined connected proposal from cabinet. 

Molinaro doesn't bargain the department's mentation for wherefore the registry isn't operational yet. 

"I mean, we're talking astir a authorities that has a batch of resources astatine its disposal, truthful it's a question of, however earnestly bash you instrumentality it?" helium said. 

"And [if] you privation to nonstop a beardown connection to the adversaries of Canada that we instrumentality overseas interference and overseas threats to our antiauthoritarian institutions and transnational repression seriously, well then you make the resources and you marque it hap successful a timely manner, and they're not doing that." 

Conservatives telephone retired 'performative gestures' 

Advocate Gloria Fung, convenor of the Canadian Coalition for a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry, said the registry isn't a panacea but alternatively a starting point, particularly for those successful diaspora communities who are the nonstop victims of harassment from overseas actors successful Canada.

"We cannot spend to hold further," she said, pointing to substantiated reports of overseas interference during both the Liberal enactment run and the caller national election. "I anticipation Prime Minister Carney tin bash better."

Fung was hoping to spot the the office successful spot and moving earlier the national election. With that accidental gone, she's present hoping to conscionable with Carney and caller Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to accent the urgency of getting the occupation done.

"If we bash not instrumentality factual enactment it's going to get worse up to a constituent of nary return," Fung said. 

The propulsion to acceptable up the registry and walk different overseas interference measures followed months of reports that China and different countries meddled successful the past 2 national elections. 

A nationalist enquiry investigated the allegations and determined overseas actors apt did effort to sway voters, but recovered those efforts did not impact which governmental enactment formed authorities successful 2019 and 2021.

A spokesperson for the Opposition Conservatives called the hold "more of the aforesaid from the Liberals."

"Nearly a twelvemonth aft becoming law, they person failed to enactment connected large promises to bring successful a registry and reverted backmost to their aged ways of performative gestures that spell nowhere," said the party's manager of communications Sarah Fisher. 

"Conservatives repeatedly called connected the Liberals to instrumentality a overseas power registry to exposure hostile overseas actors connected Canadian soil. Instead of protecting Canadians and diaspora communities, the Liberals blocked, delayed, and obstructed a overseas power registry astatine each turn."

NDP MP Heather McPherson said she recognizes the House of Commons was prorogued earlier this twelvemonth and the state was sent into an election, but called it profoundly concerning to perceive the authorities doesn't look to person adjacent the "bones successful place" for a registry.

"Canadians are justly disquieted astir overseas interference," she said, adding the Liberals look successful "no rush" to travel done connected their promises.

McPherson said arsenic acold arsenic she knows, the authorities hasn't yet consulted with the different parties up of picking a commissioner, which the enactment stipulates. 

Registry has its critics

The registry has its critics, too.

When the measure was inactive making its mode done Parliament, immoderate of the country's apical probe universities — known arsenic U15 Canada —  warned a registry could spur an unintended "chilling effect" connected planetary partnerships.

"The registry's reporting requirements could importantly harm relationships with planetary peers and mean that Canada misses retired connected the accidental to co-operate connected cutting-edge probe and entree world-leading expertise with adjacent nations," said the radical successful its submission to a House of Commons committee past year. 

Bill C-70 brought successful different measures to ward disconnected overseas interference, including updates to the Criminal Code to marque overseas interference a transgression offence and the indispensable ineligible amendments needed to let the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to disclose applicable quality to universities, businesses, provinces and municipalities.