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Anton Boegman, then-nominee for the position of Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner, prepares to appear before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC), on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Feb. 26, 2026. Boegman officially took office on Aug. 4, 2026. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang
Canada’s long-awaited foreign influence registry officially launched on Aug. 4, following repeated delays.
According to the Office of the Foreign Influence Commissioner of Canada, the registry will allow Canadians to see who is “acting with a foreign principal to influence Canada’s political or governmental processes,” along with details of their activities.
Individuals or organizations that “enter into arrangements with foreign principals to influence political or governmental processes” may be required to register. Registrable activities could also include published or streamed media interviews if they are conducted under an arrangement with a foreign principal, potentially encompassing some journalists who interview foreign officials.
Those already engaged in activities covered by the registry have 60 days to register, while any new arrangements must be registered within 14 days.
In announcing the launch, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said that the registry aims to help uphold transparency as a “key part of protecting Canada’s democracy.”
“With the establishment of the public registry, we are moving to ensure those representing the interests of a foreign entity do so with transparency and accountability, and to weed out the foreign interference that seeks to harm our country and our people,” he said in an Aug. 4 statement.
According to a federal government analysis published in early 2026 as part of the registry’s development, an estimated 872 individuals and 1,550 businesses would be required to register. The estimate was based on Australia’s experience with its own foreign influence registry.
Registry Delays
The foreign influence registry stems from legislation passed in response to the findings of the Foreign Interference Commission, which was launched in 2023 following reports of extensive meddling by Beijing in Canada’s affairs.
In an interim report released on May 3, 2024, the commission found foreign interference likely occurred during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. In her final report, Commissioner Justice Marie-Josée Hogue concluded the interference did not alter the overall election results, although individual ridings may have been affected.
Hogue identified Beijing as “the most persistent and sophisticated foreign interference threat to Canada,” while writing that Canada’s democratic institutions had “thus far remained robust.”
Hogue also criticized the federal government for responding too slowly to foreign interference threats and for being “insufficiently transparent” about them.
Following the commission’s interim report, the Liberal government introduced legislation to establish a foreign influence transparency registry and increase criminal penalties for foreign interference. The bill quickly passed the House of Commons and received royal assent.
Although Public Safety Canada had initially said the registry would likely be operational by June 2025, its launch was delayed by more than a year. A department spokesperson told The Epoch Times that month the registry was a “significant undertaking” but would be launched in the “shortest possible timeframe.”
When the June 2025 target passed, the department told Anandasangaree that the revised goal was October 2025. By November, Anandasangaree said it was still unclear when a foreign influence transparency commissioner would be appointed—a prerequisite for launching the registry.
Anton Boegman, the former Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia, was nominated as Canada’s first Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner in March 2026 and officially took office on Aug. 4, the same day the registry launched.
Boegman said in a statement it was a “privilege” to become the first Canadian to serve in the role and that the registry would give Canadians greater insight into how foreign influence is exercised “while strengthening confidence in our democratic institutions.”
