Several Hong Kong communities in Canada are rallying support for a citizen petition urging the Canadian government to establish a foreign influence registry to counter China’s interference and influence activities within the country.
In a
press release on Sept. 13, the non-profit organization Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM) called for the immediate implementation of a foreign agent registry. The registry aims to increase transparency in Canada regarding the activities of lobbyists representing foreign governments.
The VSSDM has expressed support for petition
e-4534, initiated by Toronto resident Winnie Ng and sponsored in the House of Commons by New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan.
In addition to advocating for the creation of a foreign influence registry, the petition has raised concerns about certain individuals within the Canadian community exploiting the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 to undermine the government’s commitment to establish the Foreign Influence Transparency Registry (FITR). The Chinese Immigration Act, also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, had resulted in a ban on Chinese immigrants to Canada for over two decades.
“Anti-Chinese racism cannot be used as a shield to distract from and to minimize the urgent actions required to preserve our Canadian democracy,” the petition says.
The VSSDM noted that, unlike the Chinese Immigration Act, the proposed foreign agent registry legislation applies exclusively to those lobbying on behalf of foreign governments in Canada.
“Critics of the FITR often wrongly equate the Registry with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923. This century-old racist act was a blanket discriminatory tool used to bar all Chinese individuals from entering Canada. In contrast, the foreign-agent registry is meant for those, whether Canadian or not, who lobby on behalf of foreign governments,” the group
said in its press release.
The U.K.-based non-profit Hong Kong Watch
has encouraged the public to sign the petition, saying, “Let’s join hands in combating [foreign interference],” on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Opposition
On June 24, Canadian Senators Victor Oh and Yuen Pau Woo led a demonstration on Parliament Hill. While the protest had been promoted as commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, some organizers discussed it within the context of a broader movement opposing the proposed foreign agent registry act.
Prior to the protest, both senators engaged in a series of forum discussions with various Chinese-Canadian communities during which they encouraged the audience to endorse a separate petition,
e-4395. This petition argues that a foreign agent registry “poses a serious harassment and stigmatization risk for racialized communities.” Mr. Woo had also confirmed to The Epoch Times that he
drafted the petition.
Despite promotional efforts, petition e-4395
closed in July after about three months with fewer than 2,500 signatures. In contrast, the latest petition, e-4534, which supports the establishment of the foreign agent registry, garnered over 2,400 signatures within one month of its introduction.
The Liberal government has
declined to provide a timeline for the establishment of a foreign agent registry. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was recently questioned about his government’s hesitancy in enacting legislation for the creation of a foreign agent registry. During
an interview with Bloomberg on Sept. 7, Mr. Trudeau described it as a “complex issue” that necessitates careful consideration. He also appeared to allude to Canada’s historical Chinese Immigration Act in his response.
Similarly, when questioned about the issue in
March, former public safety minister Marco Mendicino also cited concerns about anxiety and fear among certain Chinese Canadians who worry about “being stigmatized by virtue of who they are.”
There have been
mounting calls for the federal government to create a foreign agent registry to counter interference activities by regimes such as the Chinese Communist Party and the Russian government.
Conservative MP Michael Chong
reaffirmed his belief in the importance of the establishment of the foreign agent registry during his testimony before the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China on Sept. 12. He highlighted that several other Western countries, such as the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, have already implemented similar legal mechanisms to address foreign interference.
Mr. Chong’s family members in Hong Kong have reportedly faced threats from Beijing, and he himself became the target of a disinformation campaign due to his efforts to introduce the registry.
Likewise, Ms. Kwan
recently revealed she has been a consistent target of Beijing’s foreign interference because of her outspoken criticism of the regime, citing briefings from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
