Enhanced Screening Needed for Blocking Foreign Agents, MP Says

Conservative MP Brad Redekopp, who serves as his party's associate shadow minister for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, speaks to reporters at a press conference in Mississauga, Ont., on Feb. 22, 2024. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

MISSISSAUGA, Ont.—Canada needs robust screening processes to ensure that individuals seeking to immigrate do not have criminal records or harbour “ulterior motives,” such as being agents of foreign entities, said the Conservatives’ associate shadow minister for immigration.

MP Brad Redekopp was speaking on Feb. 22 at a press conference in Mississauga addressing immigration policy and the affordability crisis.

When asked about concerns related to foreign entities potentially exploiting sleeper agents—spies planted within a target country awaiting activation—or individuals aligning with a malign foreign state actor, he highlighted the need to implement tighter screening measures to safeguard the immigration process.

“We have to make sure that we are properly screening people that we find when we have criminal elements or when people have ulterior motives,” he said.

“We have to find ways of doing that. We’re not going to catch every single one; it’s probably impossible, but we need to do it better than we’re doing now. So those are things that we’re looking at to improve the system.”

Combatting Foreign Interference

Mr. Redekopp’s statement comes amid growing concerns about foreign interference backed by state actors such as China, Russia, and Iran.

China, under communist leadership, has faced parliamentary scrutiny as a major source of interference. In a November 2023 report from the House of Commons Special Committee on the Canada-People’s Republic of China Relationship, MPs referenced witnesses’ warnings about the regime utilizing “individuals and associations” connected to the United Front Work Department, allegedly operating secret police stations in Canada.

The United Front is the primary foreign interference tool of the Chinese Communist Party, according to a 2020 study published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

When questioned about the possibility of implementing measures to impose consequences on individuals complicit in foreign covert operations, Mr. Redekopp acknowledged the challenges in expelling foreign agents who have obtained Canadian permanent residency or citizenship.

“We have to make sure that we identify those people upfront, that we catch [them] early in the system,” he said. “I think that’s what we need to improve that part of the system so that these people don’t end up going far deep into the system.”

“We need to be able to find that upfront and then weed people out that should be weeded out.”

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis speaks to reporters at a press conference in Mississauga, Ont., on Feb. 22, 2024. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis, also present at the Feb. 22 press conference, highlighted additional tools for combating foreign interference. Specifically, he pointed to Sen. Leo Housako’s bill S-237, aimed at establishing a foreign agent registry to mandate individuals working on behalf of a foreign government to be registered. The bill has remained largely stagnant in the Senate since its introduction in February 2022.

“In Canada, we’ve dealt with many different instances of foreign interference from different actors, and Conservatives have championed various policies to combat foreign interference. One of them is the foreign influence registry,” he said.

“We need a government that’s going to take foreign interference, especially foreign interference from state actors, more seriously, and it’s going to take additional steps to protect Canada.”