Parliament has approved the appointment of former British Columbia chief electoral officer Anton Boegman to oversee Canada’s new foreign influence registry, a system intended to publicly identify individuals acting on behalf of foreign governments.Blacklock's Reporter says MPs endorsed Boegman as the country’s first Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner, marking a key step in implementing legislation designed to counter foreign interference in Canadian political and government processes.Boegman said the registry must be operational quickly so Canadians can see how it works.“Citizens need to see this work in action,” he said. “Only then will it work to support efforts to strengthen public trust in our democratic institutions by making transparent foreign influence activities.”The appointment follows Parliament’s passage two years ago of Bill C-70, legislation aimed at countering foreign interference.Under the law, anyone acting “at the direction of, for the benefit of or in association with a foreign entity” while lobbying public office holders must register their activities. Violations can carry penalties of up to five years in prison or fines of as much as $5 million.During Senate questioning on Feb. 26, Boegman pledged to move quickly to establish the registry and begin publishing the names of those required to register.“I promise I will work tirelessly to ensure activities seeking to influence political and government processes in Canada are publicly disclosed,” he said..Boegman told senators the rules will apply beyond federal politics.“The law is applicable across Canada,” he said. “It’s not just in federal processes. The law would be applicable in provincial, territorial and municipal processes.”Sen. Leo Housakos, opposition leader in the Senate, pressed Boegman on how soon the registry could be fully operational and whether sufficient resources were in place to enforce the law.“What remains to be done before the registry is fully operational?” Housakos asked. “Do you have the necessary resources to get up and running quickly?”Boegman replied that work was already underway to prepare the system for launch.“A lot of work is being done for the moment when the law will be brought into force,” he said.Other senators noted Canada has lagged behind allies in adopting foreign agent registries..Sen. Percy Downe said the United States introduced similar legislation in 1938, while Australia adopted its registry in 2018 and the United Kingdom enacted its own version in 2023.“Canada unfortunately is not a leader on foreign interference legislation,” Downe said. “Many of our allies introduced legislation and we’re playing catch-up, but better late than never.”Boegman acknowledged the effectiveness of the registry will only become clear once it is operating.“You need to start,” he told senators. “Only by operating the registry will Canadians really be able to see if it’s working as intended.”“Will it catch every single behaviour it is intended to?” he added. “That will not be known until it has been in place.”
