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Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree expects a foreign influence registry to combat foreign meddling be established this fall, over a year after the legislation was passed. That counters recent remarks, stating it would be delayed until 2026.

The government is vetting candidates for the foreign interference transparency commissioner, Anandasangaree told CBC News, who will administer legislation requiring individuals acting on behalf of foreign states to disclose their ties.

Bill C-70, An Act Respecting Countering Foreign Interference, mandates registration with penalties up to five years imprisonment or a $5 million fine. 

That information will be freely accessible to the public across all Canadian jurisdictions.

Canada's foreign agent registry, which passed into law last year, was not expected to be ready until 2026, according to a June 9 memo to Minister Anandasangaree.

Parliament's dissolution on March 23 permitted a “timeline and scope reassessment," the memo stated, citing project complexity across legal, regulatory, technological, and administrative domains as reasons for delays.

Anandasangaree now intends to propose commissioner candidates to opposition parties before Parliament reconvenes on September 15, with the registry anticipated by October 13.

The minister told CBC that Canada, as an “independent, sovereign nation," will act against any attempts to circumvent or undermine its ability to ensure the safety and security of Canadians. 

The prime minister earlier vowed to combat transnational repression and foreign interference. On March 26, the Liberal Party removed MPs Chandra Arya, Paul Chiang, Ruby Dhalla, and Han Dong as candidates due to undisclosed "certain information."

Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre questioned the delay on April 9, stating that a foreign agent registry would proactively identify individuals working for foreign governments, especially China.

Leaked intelligence reports confirm China's long-standing interference in Canadian elections through disinformation, undeclared cash, and student volunteers for Liberal candidates. The RCMP is also investigating alleged secret police stations in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Poilievre advocates for a foreign registry to expose "bad actors" like Chinese diplomats and their proxies, who worked against "hostile" Conservative politicians in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

A memo, People’s Republic of China Foreign Interference in Canada: A Critical National Security Threat, states that foreign interference often spans parties, ideologies, and ethnic backgrounds over several years.

Chinese-Canadian MPs Michael Chong (Conservative) and Jenny Kwan (New Democrat), previously targeted by foreign agents, have advocated for this foreign registry.

The Liberal-controlled Senate delayed Conservative Bill S-237, the Foreign Influence Registry Act, for nearly two years until its collapse on January 6 with the prorogation of Parliament. 

Former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu, a target of alleged Beijing disinformation, introduced a similar bill (Bill C-282) two years prior, stating, "Sunshine is the best disinfectant," to the Foreign Interference Commission. However, he lost re-election in 2021, and his bill also failed.

"Establishing a new independent office takes time," said the June 9 memo, adding that Canada is drawing on the experiences of allies like Australia and the UK, which took over two years to implement similar systems.

Mandatory registration for foreign agents was enacted in the United States in 1938, followed by Australia in 2018, and the United Kingdom in 2023.