Federal government expanding public consultations on foreign interference

After asking Canadians to weigh in on a potential foreign agents registry, the federal government is now seeking public input on other aspects of foreign interference — and whether Canada's spy agency is in need of a change.

The government concluded consultations on a foreign registry in May. Further consultations were announced Friday.

"One of the main themes that emerged from the feedback received during the previous round of consultations is that a registry is not a universal solution and should be accompanied by other initiatives to bolster Canada's response to foreign interference," a government news release said.

The fresh round of consultations will explore updates to current legislation, including the Criminal Code and the CSIS Act.

"The set of legislative reforms we are putting forth today for consultation would give the government of Canada another set of tools to detect and disrupt foreign state and non-state actors that attempt to act against our national interest," Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a media statement.

British Columbia Premier David Eby told CBC News in September that Ottawa told him updates to the CSIS Act were coming.

Eby has voiced frustrations about the information he received from CSIS regarding the death of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.

By law, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service cannot share its tightly-guarded intelligence with anyone outside of the federal government. Eby told CBC that he received assurances from both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and LeBlanc that the issue would be addressed.

The Business Council of Canada, composed of chief executives and entrepreneurs in the country's major companies, also called for changes to the CSIS Act earlier this year.

The council issued a 19-page report in September asking the government to give CSIS the authority to proactively warn and work with companies that have been targeted for foreign interference.

Not clear when foreign registry legislation is coming

Following the first round of consultations, a source told Radio-Canada the government would bring forward legislation to establish a foreign agents registry by the end of this year.

When asked Friday when legislation would be brought forward, a spokesperson for LeBlanc's office didn't give a timeline.

"We are taking the time to get it right, and will have more to say in due time," the spokesperson said in an email.

A newly released summary of the first round of consultations says participants wanted a registry to appropriately define who has to sign on and to spell out what falls within the scope of covered activities.

The consultation summary says respondents supported both financial and criminal penalties, and "adequate enforcement capabilities" to ensure compliance.

They also emphasized that a registry should, to the extent possible, avoid undue administrative burdens for registrants, the summary adds.

The United States and Australia have such registries and a transparency scheme is expected to come into force in the United Kingdom next year.

The summary report is an overview of comments from over 1,000 online respondents and more than 80 key stakeholder groups, as well as public commentary in Canadian media.

The new round of consultations will close on Feb. 2.