Mr. Chair and distinguished members of the committee, I thank you for this opportunity to comment on Bill C-70, the countering foreign interference act.

I'm the immediate past-president of Canada-Hong Kong Link and convener of the Canadian coalition for a foreign influence transparency registry. The coalition established in 2021 consists of 33 multicultural community organizations, think tanks and human rights groups across Canada. Our mission is to advocate for a foreign influence registry to be enacted in Canada to enhance transparency in the democratic process.

Over the past two decades, both CSIS and Canadian civil society have repeatedly warned our government about foreign interference and transnational repression in Canada, but they have remained complacent. The transnational repression faced by diaspora communities includes telephone threats, cyberbullying and smearing of Canadians through disinformation campaigns, surveillance, coercion and harassment through counterprotests and physical attacks.

The Chinese Communist Party is by far the most active state player in this interference operation through its sophisticated network involving hundreds of proxies, posing a major threat to our national security, sovereignty and democracy. Canada is at the back door to the U.S., China's adversary. By infiltrating Canada, China can access sensitive intelligence information of the U.S., the Five Eyes allies and NATO.

CCP agents capitalize on the openness of our democratic system to infiltrate community, media, academic and business sectors. They are active in undermining our democratic institutions at all levels of government.

As we recently brought together eight MPs from all five federal parties to call for the immediate introduction of legislation to counter foreign interference, our coalition welcomes the bill and strongly supports the emerging non-partisan consensus to get the registry passed and to get it up and running before the 2025 election call. We hope the House can send it to the Senate before it rises for the summer.

I would like to make the following recommendations.

Number one, the government should set up an independent commission to coordinate and monitor the implementation and future periodic reviews of the act.

Number two, the act and corresponding regulations should be reviewed and updated within one to two years after the 2025 federal election. After this, they can be reviewed once every five years in accordance with the rapidly evolving foreign threats.

Number three, for the purpose of the registry, “political activity” defined in the act needs to be expanded to include elections to internal political offices; political party leadership contests; appointments of individuals to public offices; government hiring decisions; third party political advertising; decision-making within parliamentary and legislative caucuses, such as the selection of officers, expulsion of members and removal of leaders; law enforcement decisions; and decisions of tribunals and regulators.

Number four, legislation should allow authorities to be proactive in implementing the registry. In Australia, for instance, authorities can send a request for information to determine whether or not individuals or entities need to register.

Thank you.