Liberal MP Francesco Sorbara (Vaughan-Woodbridge, ON) told the Commons the government must require the public disclosure of foreign agents.. Canada/China flags .“I am completely for a foreign lobbyist registry, whether it’s modelled on the U.S. model or the Australian model,” said Sorbara, a member of the Canada-China Legislative Association..“We need that to happen.”.Sorbara’s remark was the most definitive to date by a Liberal caucus member on opposition demands that Parliament enact a foreign agents’ registry..Cabinet has proposed to spend months studying the proposal for fear of stigmatizing Chinese-Canadians, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“The world is quickly changing and has changed over the last number of decades and we need to ensure our election system, that the integrity of our electoral system is always maintained, that Canadians have full confidence in our election system,” said Sorbara..“We need to move with consultation, but expeditiously on a foreign lobbyist registry.”.The United States enforces a 1938 Foreign Agents Registration Act that requires public disclosure of any lobbyist acting on behalf of a foreign government, corporation or individual, including details of cash payments..Australia introduced a similar Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act in 2018..Bill S-237 An Act To Establish The Foreign Influence Registry, a private Conservative bill, was introduced in the Senate on Feb. 24, 2022. It has yet to be called up for a Second Reading vote..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 6 asked the department of Public Safety to hold months-long consultations on a foreign registry..“It’s important that we bring all Canadians along, including members of the Chinese-Canadian community who have reason to be concerned given the history of the way in which these powers can be abused,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters on March 10..Trade Minister Mary Ng said March 10 the government must be cautious..“We have a great responsibility to ensure that we are not unfairly or unintentionally creating a cloud that hovers over an entire community that is feeling incredibly uncertain and who have felt the discomfort of unconscious bias,” Ng told reporters..Minister Ng was named at hearings of the Commons Ethics committee as a supporter of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations, an alleged Chinese Communist front “set up by individuals sympathetic to the regime,” testified Cheuk Kwan, co-chair of the Toronto Association for Democracy..“These and many other proxy organizations practice the art of astroturfing, echoing the Party line to defend China’s foreign and domestic policies,” testified Kwan..“In addition to engaging friendly academics and business people to advocate on its behalf, China also spreads its tentacles to cultivate elected officials and infiltrate political institutions at all levels of Canadian society.”
