Foreign influence registry will make bad actors ‘think twice,’ nominee says

The man nominated to lead Canada’s new and long-delayed foreign influence transparency registry says he believes the threat of financial penalties will make foreign agents “think twice” about trying to covertly interfere in Canadian electoral processes.

Draft regulations for the independent registry published last month propose fining people and organizations up to $1 million for failing to register their presence and activities in Canada.

Ottawa says the registry is needed because countries engaging in meddling to advance political goals might employ people to act on their behalf without disclosing those ties.

Anton Boegman, a former chief electoral officer of British Columbia, told the House of Commons procedure and house affairs committee Thursday that he’s not “naïve” to think that the planned registry by itself will entirely solve the overall problem of foreign interference.

He said it will be used as another way to keep Canadians informed about who their elected officials are interacting with, or who certain political or community actors are working for, and would not be used as a tool used to persecute foreign actors or diaspora communities.

“Interference activities, they’ve been ongoing since governments were around,” Boegman said. “I think I read once that there was French interference in the U.S. presidential election of 1796 because they wanted Mr. Jefferson, I believe, to be elected president, and there was all kinds of things happening there.

“I think by really being clear what the requirements are for registration, about when activities meet those requirements, and by having a way that doesn’t have a high administrative burden to register, that’ll be important in making sure that it’s easy for those who need to register to register,” he continued.

“I think having the deterrent will mean that people who are doing these activities covertly will think twice about doing these activities.”

Data in the public registry would include identifying information about individuals and entities that have entered into an arrangement, information about the foreign principal and details of each arrangement, including its purpose and the types of influence activities involved.

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If confirmed to the position of foreign influence transparency commissioner, Boegman would oversee the registration scheme and enforce it through notices, monetary fines and, in the most serious cases, criminal penalties.

Violations under the regime could include failure to provide information within 14 days of entering into an agreement with a foreign principal, or knowingly providing false or misleading information to the commissioner.

Boegman said his office would work with other agencies like the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service and RCMP to identify covert activity and require those people to register.

Education in multiple languages will be “critically important” to ensure people are aware of the registry and its rules once it’s established, he added.

“I believe it’s essential to start enforcing the rules promptly and to report publicly on that activity,” he said. “Citizens need to see this work in action. Only then will it work to support efforts to strengthen public trust in our democratic institutions.”

3:17 Trudeau says feds must be ‘very careful’ on foreign agents registry

The planned registry was set out in legislation passed in 2024 as part of a package of measures to counter foreign interference. The federal government initially promised to launch the registry before last year’s federal election, but that failed to materialize.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has said the plan now is to have the registry up and running this spring.

Researchers behind a new report on transnational repression released this month urged the government to quickly set up the registry, saying it would help reduce sometimes-violent attempts to influence or suppress opposition in diaspora communities.

A spokesperson for Anandasangaree’s office told Global News the timing for Boegman’s confirmation and the registry’s launch depends on Parliament, whose rules give the house affairs committee 30 days to consider a federal appointment after it’s tabled by a minister. The nomination must then be approved by both the House and Senate.

Anandasangaree announced Boegman’s appointment on Jan. 28, giving the committee a deadline of this Friday.

Boegman told the committee Thursday that he was not aware of an opening date for the registry and has not yet been consulted on staffing or resource needs.

“I can say that it would be a priority of mine to get the registry up and running — whether it’s in an interim format, whether it is in the complete technological solution that would be necessary,” he said.

Canada is following in the footsteps of its Five Eyes intelligence partners Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom in setting up a foreign influence registry. New Zealand opted last year to strengthen its penalties and policies for countering foreign interference but has not set up a similar registry for foreign agents.

Boegman said he would seek to work with those allies and others to learn best practices from those existing registries.

A federal notice accompanying the draft measures in January said Ottawa expects about 1,767 registrants would submit information annually, with an additional 54 new registrants each year.

—with files from the Canadian Press