The Subcommittee on International Human Rights met to study the global impact of transnational repression, hearing from six witnesses: Thomas Juneau, Mark Kersten, Frederick John Packer, Dimon Liu, Luke de Pulford, and Brandon Silver.
Thomas Juneau, presenting preliminary findings from a book project, described how China, India, and Iran target diaspora activists in Canada through physical threats, digital intimidation, and pressure on family members abroad, with a heavy gendered dimension. He noted that victims report widespread emotional distress and often perceive government authorities as having limited awareness of the threat, though awareness is improving, and he predicted a significant increase in Iranian transnational repression in 2026 due to heightened diaspora mobilization and regime vulnerability.
Mark Kersten argued that transnational repression is an extension of human rights violations in source countries and that Canada must hold perpetrators accountable rather than deporting them, as deporting an IRGC commander back to Iran risked strengthening the regime. He recommended that Canada allocate resources to the war crimes program for structural investigations into transnational repression, create a bill of rights for victims, and review ICE operations in Canada, noting that the United States is an emerging risk of transnational repression.
Frederick John Packer described transnational repression as a growing breach of Canadian sovereignty that extends beyond electoral interference to affect dual nationals, students, and ordinary Canadians, with no clear government point of contact for victims. He proposed appointing a full-time point person in the Privy Council, establishing an inter-ministerial working group and an advisory group, mandating training across all levels of government, engaging with the Council of Europe on a potential convention, and considering a royal commission on the issue.
Dimon Liu testified that the Chinese Communist Party has used violence and intimidation since its founding, citing examples of assassination attempts and lawfare against dissidents, and argued that Western democracies ignore this repression because they follow a British commercial approach prioritizing regime stability and market access. He recommended adopting a Reagan-style strategy of targeting China as a main adversary, escalating military spending, pursuing economic containment, and supporting dissidents.
Luke de Pulford described political transnational repression targeting lawmakers, using the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China as a case study, including a state-sponsored cyber-attack, the naming of politicians in Hong Kong national security law trials, and sanctions against members and their families. He recommended that governments formally attribute attacks, create defending democracy task forces, impose sanctions on perpetrators, notify lawmakers when targeted, and strengthen cybersecurity support, noting that many governments, including Canada, failed to notify targeted legislators of the APT31 attack.
Brandon Silver argued that current responses to transnational repression focus on detection and disruption but fail to hold senior officials criminally responsible, leaving the command architecture intact. He urged the subcommittee to call on Canada to refer Iran’s transnational repression to the International Criminal Court, noting that the widespread and systematic nature of the repression meets the legal definition of a crime against humanity and that the ICC has jurisdiction because victims are located in state parties like Canada.
During questions, witnesses discussed the need for more resources for police training, greater transparency and coordination with allies, and the role of companies in complicity with repression, such as Canadian firms managing Hong Kong mandatory provident funds. The meeting concluded without procedural debate or votes.
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