Procedure and House Affairs

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs met to study the implementation of the foreign influence transparency registry (FITR), established under Bill C-70. Witnesses included Sébastien Aubertin-Giguère, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister at Public Safety Canada; Nicole Giles, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister at CSIS; Wesley Wark, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation; Marcus Kolga, Founder and Director of DisinfoWatch; and Joe Tay, a former federal Conservative candidate.

Sébastien Aubertin-Giguère outlined the three key elements needed to bring the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA) into force: establishing the office of the commissioner, developing regulations, and creating a secure IT solution. He stated that work is underway on all fronts and that the government is "very close to the finish line," but he could not commit to a specific date for the registry's launch, noting that the appointment process for a commissioner has not yet begun formal consultations with party leaders.

Nicole Giles confirmed that during the 2025 federal election, the SITE task force did not report any foreign interference activities by accredited diplomats. She noted that observed threats were small-scale and did not affect Canadians' ability to have a free and fair election, though she acknowledged that the impact on individuals in specific ridings like Don Valley North was significant. Giles also described CSIS's efforts to track sensitive documents and build public resilience through community engagement and publications.

Wesley Wark argued that the government needs to implement FITR quickly but warned that the registry, while valuable as a deterrent, risks becoming a "wasteful register of good guys" and may duplicate existing intelligence and law enforcement efforts. He recommended that Parliament time its statutory review of the act to begin after the commissioner's first annual report, allowing for consideration of whether a country-agnostic approach or a British-style two-tier system would be more effective.

Marcus Kolga emphasized that the registry's implementation is critical for deterrence, but that delays beyond spring 2026 would erode trust among vulnerable communities. He stressed that the appointed commissioner must understand threats from China, Russia, Iran, and other authoritarian actors, and called for Canada to work more closely with allies like Finland and Estonia to counter disinformation and transnational repression.

Joe Tay provided first-hand testimony of foreign interference during his 2024 campaign in Don Valley North, including a public bounty on his head, coordinated disinformation, surveillance, and intimidation of supporters. He stated that a sitting Liberal MP, Paul Chiang, organized a press conference that publicized the bounty, which he said put him and his family in harm's way. Tay disagreed with CSIS's assessment that no accredited diplomats interfered in the 2025 election, citing the bounty and the press conference as solid proof of interference.

The committee also heard about the role of artificial intelligence and social media in amplifying foreign interference, with witnesses noting that Russia and China use sophisticated techniques to target diaspora communities and polarize Canadian society. There was no procedural debate, motions, or votes during this meeting.