“I want to thank all of the MPs here today from every Canadian political party. By being here with us today, they are clearly demonstrating that foreign interference and the sovereignty of our democracy is not a partisan issue.
A foreign influence transparency registry will help protect and defend the vulnerable minority groups and the brave activists who stand with us here today.
Transparency is a key component of any healthy democracy. Our laws require transparency from groups and individuals who advocate on behalf of private interests in Ottawa, through a lobbyist registry.
So too, should we demand transparency from those who advance the interests of foreign regimes – specifically those, like Russia, China, Iran and others, who are broadly considered authoritarian.
The morally corrupt actors who interfere in our democratic processes and manipulate our public policy in service of foreign authoritarian regimes can do so today with relative impunity in the safety of the shadows. This includes foreign authoritarian proxies and influencers – among them are former Canadian officials, diplomats, academics and far-left and far-right activists who exploit and hide behind their titles to advance authoritarian interests and to intimidate and discredit critics of those regimes.
The Foreign Influence Transparency Registry will, however, impose a cost, on those actors who exploit our freedoms and threaten the sovereignty of our democracy and the rights of vulnerable Canadian minority groups and the activists who are critical of them.
Those individuals and groups that operate legitimately and transparently, should have no fear of the transparency that a registry would demand.
The Central and Eastern European communities in Canada urge the government of Canada to quickly enact this legislation to defend vulnerable communities and to protect the freedom and sovereignty of our democracy.”
