Ottawa to Appoint Foreign Influence Commissioner After Receiving Parliament’s Approval

Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman speaks at a press conference at B.C. legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Sept. 22, 2020. The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito

Former B.C. chief electoral officer Anton Boegman has been named as Canada’s first Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner (FITC) after receiving approval from both Houses of Parliament.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Boegman’s upcoming appointment follows a parliamentary consultation during which his candidacy was approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate.

“Mr. Boegman will provide strong leadership in our efforts to increase transparency around foreign influence, including the management and oversight of a registry of foreign influence activities,” Anandasangaree said in a press release. “By promoting openness and increasing public awareness, these measures will increase the public’s confidence in our processes and better protect against harmful foreign interference.”

Boegman will be responsible for managing the new foreign influence registry and enforcing the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA), Public Safety Canada said in the press release. The role involves tracking lobbying or influence efforts on behalf of foreign governments to protect Canadian democratic institutions, with powers to issue notices of violation and penalties.

The ministry said Boegman was selected based on his “extensive experience” in electoral processes after serving as the chief electoral officer of British Columbia from 2018 to 2025. He is also a former naval officer.

The Liberal government announced its intention to appoint Boegman as commissioner in late January and he was then vetted by the House of Commons procedure and House affairs committee last month.

He told the committee during testimony on Feb. 26 that his previous experience has equipped him to carry out the responsibilities of the foreign influence transparency office, and to foster partnerships and information-sharing channels with law enforcement and other agencies, such as CSIS, to efficiently enforce the registry’s regulations.

The announcement of Boegman’s upcoming appointment comes more than a year-and-a-half after Parliament’s decision to establish the role. Bill C-70 was approved in June 2024 to ensure the creation of a public registry, a resource that the government said would be operational by the end of 2025.

The government has had a candidate for the role of commissioner on the back burner since at least last fall. Public Safety Canada said in a statement to The Epoch Times in October that the department had “a name” in mind for the role, and looked forward to “presenting that name to the opposition” and conducting the appropriate consultations in the coming days.

Boegman’s appointment may be imminent but there are still several tasks that need to be addressed before he can fully assume his responsibilities, Public Safety Canada said.

“The appointment of the Commissioner can only be made after…the coming into force of FITAA and associated regulations; and the establishment of the Commissioner’s office, including the registry,” the ministry said.

A Public Safety Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that staff must be hired for the commissioner’s office, and a secure IT solution must be developed and put into action before the foreign interference registry can be launched.

The government has not provided a specific timeline for this process but Anandasangaree has hinted the registry would be up and running sometime this spring.

Foreign Registry

Canada’s foreign agent registry is part of a broader set of initiatives detailed in the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA) of 2024, which seeks to address foreign interference.

The registry will document the names of individuals or entities that operate under the direction of a foreign government.

The duty of overseeing the registry will be that of the foreign influence transparency commissioner, who will operate under the auspices of Public Safety Canada. The commissioner will advocate for transparency, strive to raise public awareness, and ensure compliance by levying administrative penalties of up to $1 million or by forwarding cases for criminal investigation, according to the foreign influence act.

The commissioner may remain in office for a maximum of seven years and is eligible for reappointment for an additional term, also lasting a maximum of seven years.

The creation of the foreign agent registry was driven by the findings of the Foreign Interference Commission. The final report of the commission, released last January, said China is “the most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canada’s democratic institutions.” The report classified India as the second most active state participating in electoral foreign interference in Canada.

Other G7 countries have long maintained a foreign influence registry. The United States has had a foreign agent registry since 1938. Australia established one in 2018 and Britain followed suit in 2023.