The government said last June that the registry would be up and running within a year.Pgiam/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
For those following the long-running saga surrounding the creation of a foreign agents registry in Canada, you’ll be excited to know that there is a big anniversary coming up 10 days.
June 20 will mark one year since the day that the enabling legislation for what will be called the “foreign influence transparency registry” received royal assent.
That it took until June 20, 2024, for the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau to create a registry it had first contemplated in February, 2021, was in and of itself a practical joke played on Canadians.
But the fact that, since that day almost a full year ago, the government has not announced a coming-into-force date for the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act, and still hasn’t named the independent commissioner who will oversee the registry, raises the absurdity level of this saga to new heights.
Without a commissioner or a coming-into-force date, the foreign agents registry essentially does not exist. It is as ephemeral under the Liberal government of Mark Carney as it ever was under that of his predecessor.
Some will argue that, hey, the Liberals have been darn busy over the past year. And it’s true that paralyzing Parliament, ousting your albatross of a leader, electing a new one and going through a general election can keep a party busy.
But that should not have brought to a halt the work of government to set up and launch a registry that, if it ever comes into being, will be a critical part of Canada’s efforts to fight back against foreign interference in its elections.
Add to that the fact that the Trudeau government dragged its feet over its creation for years, and that Mr. Trudeau himself tried to undermine it by falsely suggesting that a foreign agents registry was reminiscent of Canada’s infamous head tax on Chinese immigrants and its internment of Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War, and it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the latest inexplicable delays are consistent with the past.
This really has gone on long enough. The government said last June that the registry would be up and running within a year – that is to say, by this week – giving it plenty of time to play a part in the general election that was expected in October of this year.
Opinion: About that foreign-agents registry thing...
That election came in April instead and resulted in the return of the Liberals to power under Mr. Carney, and a foreign agents registry that remains in limbo.
The registry would not be a one-step solution for curbing foreign interference. No one has ever said that.
What it does do is require someone who arranges to work in Canada on behalf of a foreign government or state company to register with the federal government.
That work could include communicating with a public office holder or with the public, disbursing money, or providing a service or use of facilities in relation to any political or legislative matter, or to an election or referendum.
Diplomatic and consular employees would be exempted, as would foreign government employees acting openly in their official capacity.
Its implementation would send a message to foreign governments that try to influence or intimidate their diasporas in this country that Canada is among the countries that take such things seriously. Countries such as the United States, Britain and Australia, for instance, that have created or are creating their own foreign agents’ registries.
Conversely, slow-walking the creation of a registry for years and then doing the same when it comes to actually getting it operational sends the message that Canada is open for nefarious business.
To date, officials at Public Safety Canada have only said that work is being done to prepare the necessary regulations and develop needed software.
But the fact the enabling act still hasn’t come into force and there is no word about the appointment of a commissioner to oversee the registry would indicate the registry is still a long way from starting to collect names.
Mr. Carney should make it clear to the public that, unlike the previous Liberal government, his version intends to bring this sorry saga to an end, and that it is committed to protecting the integrity of Canadian elections and to the right of people in this country not to be harassed by malevolent agents of other countries.