By Dave McKee
On August 4, the federal Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA) came into force. The legislation establishes a public registry for anyone who has an “arrangement with a foreign principal” and seeks to influence Canadian political or governmental processes.
At first glance, that may seem reasonable to many people, with Ottawa invoking the basic prudence of monitoring organizations who are direct conduits for foreign interference.
But you don’t have to scratch the surface too much, to reveal the problems – and dangers – with this law. The FITAA itself was prepared as a follow-up to the 2024 Foreign Interference Inquiry. That effort, which was the product of years-long CSIS propaganda campaign to whip up fears of meddling by the Russian and Chinese governments, was a complete bust. The final report, released in January 2025, concluded there was “no evidence of ‘traitors’ in Parliament” plotting with foreign states against Canada’s interests, and that foreign interference “did not impact the results of the last two general elections.”
And if the flawed basis for the FITAA isn’t enough of a concern, the foreign influence registry which emerges from it has all the hallmarks of Cold War McCarthyism.
An organization’s or person’s “arrangement with a foreign principal” doesn’t have to be formal, written or paid for. It includes such loose boundaries as an “expectation” or “mere encouragement.” Anyone with such a broad “relationship” had to register within 14 days of the law taking effect, so by August 19, or face penalties up to $1 million.
Armed with this legislation, Ottawa can go after such grave threats to “national security” as community groups who organize Lunar New Year celebrations and read out greetings from the Embassy of China. It can clamp down on that well-known fifth column of Cuba solidarity groups who receive updates from Havana on the effects of the nearly seven-decade-long US blockade of the island and its people. And finally, Canada can be freed from the tyranny of peace and anti-war groups who share information from journalists and organizations in Palestine, Iran, Venezuela, Sudan…
The federal government tells us that the registry exists to capture foreign agents. But it is so broadly drafted that it targets academics, journalists, activists – virtually everyone. In light of this, it is difficult to see the registry as anything less than a tool to suppress political dissent.
Will it be used to track actual sources of foreign influence? Will it target the Conservative Party of Canada and its various provincial derivatives who ape the politics and objectives of the Donald Trump administration, to the point of holding vigils to celebrate Charlie Kirk?
Will it confront Zionist organizations who work directly with the apartheid and murderous Israeli government to shut down Palestine solidarity movements and events in Canada?
Will it round up, detain, question and penalize the scores of Canadian parliamentarians who have been involved with NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly, whose exact purpose is to help craft and implement legislation in its member states, that mirrors and facilitates the priorities and objectives of that aggressive, imperialist military alliance?
The answer, obviously, is no.
This sham legislation and registry have little to nothing to do with sovereignty – with protecting Canada from foreign influence – and everything to do with silencing voices for peace and solidarity as the US-NATO war machine ramps up military spending and engages in increasingly aggressive military adventures around the world, with Ottawa’s full support and participation.
The federal government must repeal the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act now. It must stop targeting immigrant communities and progressives under the guise of “national security.” It must genuinely investigate US, Israeli and NATO interference in Canada’s domestic affairs. It must be forced to do this by the working people of this country.
[Photo: Ottawa Citizen]
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