Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada.
LeBlanc placed the new bill, titled “An Act respecting countering foreign interference,” on the notice paper on Friday, and federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
In a weekend interview on CTV’s Question Period, LeBlanc — who also serves as the minister of public safety and intergovernmental affairs — wouldn’t say whether the suite of incoming measures would include a foreign agent registry, citing parliamentary privilege.
There have long been calls for the federal government to implement some form of searchable database of agents working for foreign governments, similar to the systems in place in Australia and the United States.
Last fall, members of the House ethics committee released an 82-page report at the conclusion of their monthslong study on foreign interference, and in it called on the government to act on its nearly two dozen recommendations, including putting in place a foreign agent registry “as soon as possible.”
These parliamentarians took the position that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should not wait for the public inquiry into foreign election interference to wrap up before taking further steps, such as installing new tools to better protect Canada’s democracy from evolving global threats.
Last September, LeBlanc said in an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play that his government hoped to “proceed quickly” on legislation to implement such a registry.
LeBlanc is expected to speak to reporters after the bill is presented in the House of Commons.
This is a developing story, check back for updates…
With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyk