A House of Commons committee studying the bill to bring in a foreign registry in Canada was told Bill C-70 needs to be passed quickly. That was the message from a former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) as well as two groups representing Chinese Canadians.
“I can see no possibility that our geopolitical adversaries will in any way in the foreseeable future modify their behavior so as to lessen threats to our national security,” said Richard Fadden, former director of CSIS. He was speaking at a June 5 meeting of the committee on public safety and national security.
“These threats are real and affect virtually every part of our country—private sector, civil society, individuals, and governments at all levels,” he continued. “To not deal with C-70 in the days and weeks ahead, if you'll forgive me for saying so, in an environment increasingly affected by the possibility of an election, could mean the demise of C-70.”
Mr. Fadden added while the bill may not be perfect, it goes “a considerable distance towards dealing with the threat of foreign interference.”
Several organizations representing diaspora groups spoke in favor of it.
Gloria Fung with Hong Kong Link said groups like hers have been warning of foreign interference for 20 years in Canada but have been met with complacency.
“Our coalition welcomes the bill and strongly supports the emerging nonpartisan consensus to get the registry passed, to get it up and running before the 2025 election,” she said.
Katherine Leung with Hong Kong Watch agreed. “Hong Kong Watch supports a speedy passage of the Countering Foreign Interference Act such that it is in place before the next election,” she said, although she added her group would like to see amendments to deal with a wider variety of threats.
Mr. Fadden said the bill should help Canada’s credibility with its “Five Eyes” allies, which include the United States, the UK, and Australia.
“I think the creation of foreign interference as a crime goes a long way to bringing us in line with our close allies,” he said. “If it doesn’t put us at the forefront, I think it goes a considerable distance ... I think it will lessen the concerns of some of our allies,” he said. Mr. Fadden added Canada has been “slower” than some of its allies in countering foreign interference and suggested that may have made this country more of a target.
“When an adversary goes through a list of countries that it wants to attack, it will take every country and do something to all of them,” he said, “but if there’s one that is slightly less organized, slightly less structured to push back, they'll make a bit of an effort there.”
He said China stands out as the biggest threat and that Chinese interference has been intensifying since Xi Jinping took office in 2013. He added Iran, India, and to some extent Russia have also been noticeable.
Ms. Leung with Hong Kong Watch said while her group supports C-70, they believe it could be expanded to include offences against individuals, and not just governments.
“Much of foreign interference occurs where it can suppress public discourse and indirectly influence democratic processes,” she said. Ms. Leung gave the example of a woman who had immigrated to Canada and spoken out against the government of China. She said the woman received messages on social media including a video of a woman being badly beaten, along with personal information, such as where she worked. She said the woman reported the threats.
“She no longer participates in pro-democracy advocacy for Hong Kong, despite permanently living in Canada. Foreign states use transnational repression ... thereby undermining democratic participation,” said Ms. Leung.
One witness told the committee C-70 represents the minimum the government should be doing.
“For too long, this government and its predecessors have taken democracy for granted,” said Christian Leuprecht, a researcher and author who holds numerous academic positions in Canada, including at the Royal Military College of Canada. “Democracy needs to be defended ... yet the bill shows neither courage nor ambition. It amounts to a minimalist approach. It represents the absolute minimum the government would have to do anyway, but only once its hand was forced.”
The meeting took place against a background of recent reports that have found evidence of foreign interference.
A summary of a redacted section says MPs “worked to influence their colleagues on India’s behalf and proactively provided confidential information to Indian officials.”
NSICOP also relates a CSIS assessment saying the People’s Republic of China (PRC) believes its relationship with some MPs “rests on a quid pro quo that any member’s engagement with the PRC will result in the PRC mobilizing its network in the member’s favour.”
In addition, on May 3 Foreign Interference Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report, which found while interference did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, individual ridings may have been affected.
