Tim Cheung (@TimCheung)

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/04/01/canadian-lawmaker-launches-second-try-for-a-foreign-influence-registry.html "(Conservative senator #LeoHousakos) said he’s still unclear on what (current #Conservative leadership candidate Jean) Charest was doing for #Huawei and a registry would help clear up such questions. #Charest would have 'absolutely' had to register if such an act had already existed, he said. Foreign-influence operations aren’t the same as a corporation, he said, so the current federal lobbyist registry doesn’t serve the same function. Organizations trying to sway Canada’s institutions aren’t just doing so from a business approach. 'They set up front cultural organizations, they set up fronts in terms of all kinds of non-profit groups. They also support certain kind of foundations', he said. 'That’s why we have to be a little bit more broad in scope in making sure that at any given time an organization of any nature that is supported directly or indirectly by these foreign entities have to register when they’re trying to influence our institutions and governments'. Concerns about China’s United Front Work Department have also increased in recent years. The department is known for reaching out internationally to organizations and politicians in an effort to further the #Chinese #Communist Party’s agenda. The United Front has been accused of mobilizing contacts in Canada to harass and intimidate critics of the #CCP and to build relationships with officials in a bid to find allies who may side with #Beijing on issues. Meanwhile, the federal government appears to be open to the idea of a foreign influence registry. On Wednesday, during an appearance in the Senate to take questions about his portfolio, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada is facing an 'environment of heightened threats to our national security' including foreign interference. Housakos then asked if the government would support a foreign agents registry. 'I certainly think that’s an idea that merits study', Mendicino replied, using the example of #Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine and the national security threats it represents to #Canada, including foreign interference operations to retaliate against Canada for its support of Ukraine."