Former Tory MP Kenny Chiu says he welcomes the Liberal government’s proposed legislation to create a foreign agent registry, though he says it should have come sooner. Mr. Chiu, who previously introduced a similar bill, became a target of foreign interference and disinformation campaign in the 2021 election, which he lost.
“I’m cautiously optimistic because I’ve been saying the foreign influence registry is the lowest-hanging fruit. It’s the easiest [mechanism] that we could introduce without infringing on any Canadians’ freedoms and rights to engage in political activities,” Mr. Chiu, who represented Steveston—Richmond East in B.C. from 2019 to 2021, told The Epoch Times on May 7. That was
a day after the Liberal government introduced
Bill C-70, an Act Respecting Countering Foreign Interference.
The proposed legislation comes three years after Mr. Chiu introduced a similar private member’s
bill, C-282, in
April 2021.
His advocacy for the registry made him a target of disinformation campaigns on Beijing-backed social media platforms. One such
article reviewed by
The Epoch Times misstated the purpose of his bill, saying it was to “suppress the Chinese community” in Canada. Mr. Chiu later lost his seat in the 2021 federal election.
“Finally, after so much denying, delaying, and dragging the feet, the Canadian government seems to be now moving in a good direction,” Mr. Chiu said.
The government’s proposed legislation is intended to strengthen criminal penalties for foreign interference. It includes introduction of the
Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA), which would require individuals and entities entering into arrangements with foreign principals to register the arrangements and disclose any foreign influence activities.
Those who fail to register their arrangements and activities or attempt to mislead the commissioner of the registry could face monetary penalties and, for more serious violations, jail time.
Additional Tools
Communist China was recognized as
the most active country engaged in foreign interference in Canada by the ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference. In the interview, Mr. Chiu voiced concerns about activities by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to manipulate certain Chinese diaspora communities to advance its interests.
“Since the CCP has weaponized Han Chinese [ethnic] nationalism, I have no doubt that there will, perhaps, be people who are willingly participating in [Beijing’s foreign interference campaigns] without receiving any benefits,” he said.
“For these people, monetary penalties and even jail time, perhaps, may not be enough to discourage them.”
Mr. Chiu suggested providing additional tools to address technological threats, such as malign algorithms that could expose Canadians’ private information to a hostile foreign government.
He also reiterated his stance on sanctioning Chinese state media like CGTN, akin to Canada’s banning of Russian television network RT from Canadian airwaves following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
“These multi-dimensional disinformation campaigns help to solidify the mistrust of certain particular politicians or a political party. It’s very effective, especially during election time,” Mr. Chiu said in
testimony before the House of Commons ethics committee on March 31, 2023.
Besides creating a foreign agent registry, Bill C-70 will give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
additional power to disclose sensitive information to non-federal partners in order to “build resiliency against threats.” It will also amend the CSIS Act to increase the agency’s ability to collect foreign intelligence within Canada.
Several other existing laws will be amended, including the Security of Information Act. The act will address foreign interference by, among other things, creating three new offences: engaging in general foreign interference against Canada; committing an indictable offence on behalf of a foreign entity such as bribery, extortion, or visa fraud; and engaging in acts that undermine Canada’s democratic processes, such as foreign interference in elections and political parties’ nomination contests.
‘Sense of Urgency’
Gloria Fung, president of advocacy group Canada-Hong Kong Link, says she is “very pleased” to see the government finally creating a foreign influence registry. She urged parliamentarians to support the legislation and pass it before the next federal election.“I’m still very concerned about the timing of the proposed act’s implementation, that is, whether it will get passed in Parliament soon enough for it to become up and running before the next election is called,” she told The Epoch Times on May 7.
“If not, then for sure the election infiltration and interference we experienced in 2019 and 2021 will repeat itself in the 2025 election. Therefore, we call upon all members of Parliament and senators to share this sense of urgency. We will be watching how all parties respond to this need for immediate action.”
Mr. Chiu’s April 2021 private member’s bill
C-282 did not reach second reading before the House of Commons went on summer break. An election was called in August 2021, effectively terminating the legislation. Then Sen. Leo Housakos introduced similar legislation,
S-237, in February 2022, but it has not garnered support.
In response to inquiries from The Epoch Times, Mr. Housakos’s office pointed to
his comments on the issue during the Senate question period on May 7, when he questioned the government’s delay in supporting both his legislation and Mr. Chiu’s.
“You could have introduced it as a government bill after Mr. Chiu lost his seat as a result of interference from Beijing. Why did it take so long to put this piece of the puzzle on the table and get it done?” he asked.
Sen. Marc Gold, the government representative in the Senate, rejected criticism of the Liberal government’s delay, saying Ottawa has “come forward with a serious legislation that will strike the right balance between protecting our national security and our constitutional values.”
Clearing the Clouds
Ms. Fung noted that some opponents who dismissed the two pieces of legislation from Mr. Chiu and Mr. Housakos falsely cited “anti-Chinese” sentiment as their reason. She said such claims come from individuals aligned with the Beijing regime and that Ottawa’s proposed legislation will help uncover the truth.“Sunlight is always the best sanitizer,” she said, adding, “It will also help to get rid of the clouds of suspicion overhanging our [Chinese] community.”
