Achi news desk-
New legislation aims to create a public foreign influence registry and expand warrant powers and investigative tools for Canada’s intelligence service to combat foreign interference, Ottawa said Monday.
The proposed legislation also includes new and updated criminal offenses for sabotage, political interference and other crimes committed on behalf of foreign entities, including increased prison sentences ranging from up to life behind bars.
“We are taking action to adapt and respond to a world where life, and as a result threats, are increasingly moving online,” Public Safety Minister Dominique LeBlanc told reporters after submitting the legislation alongside the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Araf Virani.
Bill C-70, the Foreign Interference Prevention Act, comes amid growing pressure on the federal government to strengthen its measures against foreign interference, particularly against elections and diaspora communities. A public inquiry into the matter claimed that attempts by foreign actors to interfere in the last two federal elections undermined the trust of Canadians.
A major provision of the legislation is the creation of the foreign influence registry, which has long been promised but has been delayed for more than a year.
The registry will be run by an independent foreign-influenced transparency commissioner to prevent political interference, which government officials say is a key request raised in the consultations.
According to the bill, anyone who works with a foreign power, entity or country who is in communication with a public official, conveys political or government information to the public, or distributes money or valuables, is required to register his activity with the commissioner.
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These agents must also provide updates on their activities to the commissioner, who will oversee the publicly available registry.
Participation in candidate contests and elections, as well as in the development of public policy, influencing the decision-making of public officials and spreading communication on social networks, are included in actions that require registration, according to the bill.
Diplomatic and consular officials from foreign countries are not required to register, as are foreign politicians visiting Canada on official government business.
Those who improved the measures could face fines of up to 5 million dollars and up to five years in prison. The supervisor may forward information he receives to law enforcement agencies if necessary.
If the bill is approved, it provides a one-year timetable for the establishment of the commissioner’s office and the registry following royal assent. Government officials said the timeline speaks to registration being a “priority” for the Office of Public Safety.
New CSIS, Criminal Code measures
The multi-layered legislation also includes updates to the CSIS Act, the Criminal Code, the Security and Information Act and the Canada Evidence Act.
This will allow the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service to provide more specific information when warning Canadian individuals or businesses about foreign security threats they may face. Previously, the agency was unable to disclose such information outside the federal government.
The bill would also expand the warrant powers that CSIS can execute for investigative purposes, including searching for foreign intelligence residing outside the country “from within Canada.”
The changes to the criminal law include expanding the existing law against sabotage to include actions taken against critical infrastructure, examples include cyber attacks on health systems and energy infrastructure.
The bill was announced days after a double batch of announcements related to foreign interference thrust the issue back into the spotlight on Friday.
The commissioner overseeing the investigation into foreign attempts to interfere in Canada’s last two elections released an interim report that found those attempts undermined the rights of Canadian voters because they “tainted the process” and eroded public trust, even though they did not change the overall results.
Commissioner Marie-José Hogg stressed that Ottawa needs to “work hard” to restore that trust by informing Canadians about the threat of foreign interference and also taking “real, concrete steps” to identify and deter it.
Hours after that report was published, the RCMP announced it had arrested three Indian nationals accused of murder and conspiracy in the 2023 BC killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijar, whom India had declared a “terrorist.” The federal government said there were “credible allegations of a possible link” between Niger’s death and Indian government agents.
Global News reported that Niger had been warned by Canadian intelligence and security service officers that “professional assassins” were after him, and that India had tried to get the RCMP to arrest Niger on allegations deemed unreliable.
was asked in an interview broadcast on Sunday The Western Bloc If he was still confident in Canada’s security and intelligence services after they failed to prevent Niger’s death, and following Hogg’s interim report, LeBlanc said yes.
He also defended the actions the government has taken so far to strengthen these agencies’ ability to fight foreign threats, but added that he agreed with Hogg’s conclusion that more needs to be done, alluding to the new legislation announced Monday.
more to come…
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