MPs, provincial legislators and city councillors are known to be in the pay of foreign agents, a former espionage officer yesterday told the Commons ethics committee. The foreign agents’ source country was not named, though cabinet has accused China of clandestine activities..“We had to monitor parliamentarians,” testified Michel Juneau-Katsuya, former chief of the Asia-Pacific desk at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. “There are elected officials at all levels whether it’s municipal, provincial or federal who are being paid by foreign governments and who are not necessarily acting in the interests of Canada.”.“It is still happening,” said Juneau-Katsuya. “Foreign agents try to recruit elected officials. It’s fairly easy because elected officials don’t necessarily listen to security guidelines to protect themselves.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, Juneau-Katsuya did not identify any foreign agents’ source country by name. However cabinet in a June 23, 2021 submission to a Commons foreign affairs subcommittee stated: “The government has warned Chinese authorities against interference activities.”.“The Government of Canada is aware foreign states, including the People’s Republic of China or its proxies, may attempt to harass, threaten and intimidate Canadians, persons residing in Canada or their families in Canada or abroad, particularly Chinese diaspora or ethno-cultural communities,” said the committee submission..Members of the Commons ethics committee yesterday expressed astonishment over the testimony. “I’m kind of dumbfounded,” said Conservative MP James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake, Man.). “Extraordinary,” said Conservative MP Pat Kelly (Calgary Rocky Ridge), chair of the ethics committee..“You said politicians at all levels have been monitored,” said Conservative MP Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn). “You don’t need to name names”:.MP Hallan: “How many in your experience have been monitored?”Juneau-Katsuya: “No I cannot give a definite number considering the fact – ”MP Hallan: “Is it in the 10s, in the 20s, is it in the hundreds? Can you give us something like that?”Juneau-Katsuya: “It’s difficult for me to mention the numbers because we work on the need-to-know basis.”.“If, for example, I have colleagues working on the Russian desk, they will not know if I am working on the Chinese desk some of the targets I have,” said Juneau-Katsuya. “What we know for sure is we have various foreign countries that succeeded in recruiting elected officials – again, municipal, provincial or federal – and were capable of influencing this way.”.“We see that also, when we see at the end of their mandate, cabinet ministers going to work for a foreign company that works directly against national security and the national interests of Canada,” said Juneau-Katsuya. “There’s a certain concern when some people leave public office for what they’ve done during the public office and what they do after.”.“Very often the politician or elected official was not necessarily the initial target but they actually came to our attention when we were watching foreign intelligence officers or foreign criminals or Canadian criminals being in contact with them,” said Juneau-Katsuya. “It became a concern to either the Canadian Security Intelligence Service or the RCMP when these people demonstrate certain activities that were questionable in light of their responsible office.”.There is currently no federal law mandating disclosure of foreign agents paid to lobby elected officials. A bill pending in the Senate S-237 An Act To Establish The Foreign Influence Registry would publicly name all federal lobbyists acting for “a foreign government, an individual or entity related to a foreign government” and require disclosure of payments and identities of clients under threat of $200,000 fines and two years’ jail..“The Act will force greater transparency by exposing those who seek to influence on behalf of foreign regimes,” Senator Leo Housakos (Que.), sponsor of the bill, told the Senate in March 29 debate. “Countries like China, countries like Iran, countries like Russia, we have evidence to show they are very active right now within our borders.”.The United States in 1938 introduced a Foreign Agents Registration Act requiring disclosure of agents. The U.S. law was originally intended to track Nazi sympathizers. Australia in 2018 introduced its own Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme that includes mandatory registration of all former cabinet ministers acting on behalf of foreigners.
