Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

Comité permanent de l'accès à l'information, de la protection des renseignements personnels et de l'éthique

For immediate release

Ottawa, October 24, 2023 -

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, tabled in the House of Commons a report entitled Foreign interference and the threats to the integrity of democratic institutions, intellectual property and the Canadian state.

During its study, the Committee examined various topics related to foreign interference, including the rise of xenophobia, illicit disclosure of national security intelligence, and the risks linked to technological advances. Special focus was given to foreign interference targets in Canada and tactics used by the Communist Party of China and Russia. The report also contains a case study concerning allegations of foreign interference through a donation to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

The study confirmed that evolving tactics of foreign interference pose a real and increasingly insidious threat that undermines not only democracy and Canadian institutions, but also the rights and freedoms of Canadians. Testimony revealed an undeniable need to better protect ourselves against the harmful effects of foreign interference. To that end, the Committee examined a few legislative and non-legislative measures to improve Canada’s response to foreign interference activities.

The report contains a total of 22 recommendations, including a recommendation to create a foreign agent registry. Other recommendations seek to ensure, among other things, that Canada’s national security policy is up to date and able to respond to threats caused by the use of artificial intelligence by foreign actors. Some recommendations seek to address the hardships faced by Canadians who are subject to foreign interference activities, including xenophobia.

“On behalf of the Committee, I want to thank all the witnesses who appeared before the Committee and shared their experience, knowledge, time and expertise,” stated John Brassard, Chair of the Committee. He added: “The study took the Committee in many different directions but in the end, the parties were united in their recommendation to the Government on the need to establish a foreign-agent registry as soon as possible”.

The Committee held 8 public meetings as part of this study. It heard from 23 witnesses. Witnesses included members of the Uyghur and Chinese diaspora, and other experts and stakeholders. It received 1 brief. The witness testimony heard by the Committee is available on the Parliament of Canada’s website: ETHI - Foreign Interference (ourcommons.ca).