E-Paper
Canada sets up foreign influence registry on the lines of US
Those required to register in Canada are persons acting as agents of foreign states working to influence political or government processes
Toronto: A foreign influence registry, along the lines of a similar mechanism already existing in the United States, came into effect in Canada on Tuesday.
“As of today, individuals and organisations that have an arrangement with a foreign principal to conduct activities intended to influence a Canadian political or governmental process are required to register this arrangement,” Public Safety Canada said in a release.
Such a registry was among the recommendations in the final report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions submitted in January last year. That Inquiry was headed by judge Marie-Josee Hogue, who was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada in December 2025.
Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree announced the coming into force of the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act. This formally established a public registry of foreign influence activities, which will be by an independent Commissioner.
“This marks a significant milestone in Canada’s efforts to increase transparency around foreign influence activities while protecting the integrity of the country’s democratic institutions,” the release said.
The new system, the statement noted, built on “existing measures to detect, deter and respond to foreign interference”, which includes strengthened intelligence coordination, increased policing resources, stronger border measures, and enhanced engagement with civil society, diaspora and vulnerable communities.
“With the establishment of the public registry, we are moving to ensure those representing the interests of a foreign entity do so with transparency and accountability, and to weed out the foreign interference that seeks to harm our country and our people,” Anandasangaree said.
The inaugural Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner will be Anton Boegman, who was chief electoral officer of British Columbia from June 1, 2018 to November 7, 2025.
“By making information about foreign influence activities openly available, we are empowering Canadians with greater insight into how influence is exercised, on whose behalf, and how public decision-making may be shaped, while strengthening confidence in our democratic institutions,” he said.
Foreign influence is different from interference activities. Public Safety Canada described foreign influence as “a normal part of international affairs. Foreign partners regularly seek to influence the decisions we make as a country, just as Canada seeks to influence the decisions of others”.
“However, some foreign governments may seek to exert influence in non-transparent or covert ways,” added.
Foreign interference involves clandestine, deceptive, manipulative or personally threatening actions by foreign governments, or those acting on their behalf, to manipulate the country’s policies, elections or public opinion and can happen at all levels of government.
