A coalition of 33 multicultural organizations across the country united to urge the government to fight such malicious activity amid reports of China’s foreign interference targeting Canada, according to a webinar event. It called for the enactment of a register of influence for
Gloria Fong, President of Canada Hong Kong Link, who co-hosted a webinar discussion with members, said: Canadian Union for Foreign Influence Registration on 8 March.
The Foreign Influence Register, also known as the Foreign Agents Registry, requires foreign countries involved in acts of interference to register their activities in furtherance of their interests. Canadian Public Safety website.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said he had ordered Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino to begin talks on creating a register of foreign agents, but did not provide a timeline. The Liberal government has announced that it is “actively considering” creating a register of foreign agents, as early as February 2021. Nearly two years later, in December 2022, Mendicino said Ottawa was preparing to consult the public about the possible creation of such a registry.
A series of US reports in recent months earth and mail Based on state sources, it claims that Beijing has implemented a sophisticated strategy to interfere in the 2021 federal elections. global news Last November’s report also showed that Trudeau and his cabinet had been briefed months earlier by national intelligence officials about the Chinese Communist Party’s interference in the 2019 Canadian elections.
Prime Minister Trudeau announced an independent special rapporteur would be appointed in the face of mounting pressure to set up a public inquiry in the coming weeks Investigate foreign interference in Canadian elections.
At a panel discussion on March 8, Mr Fung said the special rapporteur’s investigation should not delay the passage of foreign agent registration.
“If the government considers [public] If consultation is necessary, we will fully cooperate. However, consultations need to be timely and conducted with groups that truly represent the community and do not act as agents of foreign governments,” she said.
A panel discussion on March 8 also featured Charles Burton, Senior Fellow at the McDonald’s Laurier Institute. Kayum Masimov, project manager of the Uyghur Advocacy Project. Mabel Tan, chairman of the Vancouver Association for Pro-Democracy; Ding Trang, leader of Viet Tongue Ontario. Marcus Colga, President of the Central and Eastern European Council of Canada.
In March 2022, the Coalition issued a joint letter endorsing Senator Leo Josakos. Building S-237 Establish a register of foreign influence in the Senate. However, the bill has not been considered in the Senate since February 2022.
Vivian Yu of NTD contributed to this report.