Petition for Foreign Agent Registry Closes With Significant Support

The Canadian flag flies near the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 17, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

A citizen’s petition calling for the creation of a foreign agent registry in Canada has concluded with relatively high votes, substantially more compared to the petition opposing it.

Petition e-4534 concluded on Oct. 15 with a total of 5,215 signatures. Initiated by Toronto resident Winnie Ng, the petition highlights recent revelations from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) concerning the Chinese regime’s interference in Canada.

NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who sponsored this petition in the House of Commons, revealed earlier this year that she has been an “evergreen” target of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) foreign interference over her outspoken criticism of the regime. Following briefings from CSIS in May, Ms. Kwan said that she will not be intimidated or silenced and will continue to advocate for “basic human rights.”

Conservative MP Michael Chong has also been targeted by the Chinese regime, reportedly stemming from his introduction of a 2021 parliamentary motion declaring China’s treatment of its Uygur population a genocide. This revelation followed media reports indicating widespread interference by Beijing in Canada’s last two federal elections.

In August, Global Affairs Canada said that Mr. Chong may have become the target of another “coordinated network” linked to Beijing, engaged in disinformation campaigns following media reports of Mr. Chong’s family being threatened by the regime.

The petition called on the government to expedite the passage of the Foreign Influence and Transparency Registry legislation during the fall session of the Parliament.

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“Setting up a comprehensive system of our own Foreign Influence Transparency Registry is one of the most effective ways to safeguard our Canadian democratic system and uphold the universal core values of freedom, democracy, and justice,” the petition reads.

The petition has received support from some Hong Kong communities in Canada.

In an emailed statement endorsing the petition, the pro-democracy NGO Vancouver Society In Support of Democratic Movement (VSSDM), said the foreign agent registry was an important step toward stopping Beijing from “infiltrating and interfering with Canadian sovereignty.”

Mabel Tung, chair of the VSSDM, acknowledged that the act does not specifically target China but encompasses all hostile foreign states, including Russia and Iran. However, she pointed out that the CCP distinguishes itself through its extensive interference endeavours, including election meddling, the establishment of covert overseas police stations, and efforts to sway the views of elected officials and the Canadian public.

“China’s United Front Work Department devotes all its efforts and resources to neutralize or co-opt Chinese Communist Party authority and policies by any possible means. No one, least of all politicians and influential figures of society of any country, is immune from its corrupting influence,” Ms. Tung said in an email to The Epoch Times on Oct. 17.

‘Anti-Chinese Racism’

Petition e-4534 also raised concerns about reported efforts to conflate the proposed foreign registry with Canada’s long-abolished Chinese Exclusion Act.

“Anti-Chinese racism cannot be used as a shield to distract from and to minimize the urgent actions required to preserve our Canadian democracy,” it said.

This follows a separate citizens’ petition, e-4395, which expressed opposition to the establishment of a foreign agent registry, claiming that it “poses a serious harassment and stigmatization risk for racialized communities.” This petition, sponsored by Liberal MP Arya Chandra, concluded in July with just over 2,400 signatures.

Sen. Yuen Pau Woo previously confirmed to The Epoch Times that he had helped draft this petition. In June, Sen. Woo, and Sen. Victor Oh, led a protest on Parliament Hill, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. Notably, the event’s website called for support of petition e-4395, which opposes proposed legislation for a foreign agent registry.

Prior to the protest, the two Senators attended a series of public events in cities across the country where they voiced strong opposition to the creation of the foreign agent registry. At one of the events, held on May 28 in Montreal, the city’s Chinese consul general, Dai Yuming, was invited as keynote speaker.

Ms. Tung dismissed allegations of anti-Chinese racism from opponents of the foreign registry and refuted the notion that the registry is akin to the Chinese Exclusion Act. She described such claims to be “tactics at fear-mongering.”

“Such accusations have no basis in truth, and is merely a distortion of history and an insult to the memory of true victims of that unfortunate chapter in Canadian history,” she said. “The Foreign Agent Registry Act’s sole purpose is to protect and safeguard the welfare of Canadians of all ethnicities, and not—and I stress the word ‘not’—to exclude or target specific groups of Canadians.”

“Damage to Canadian society has already been done. Such an act, if carried out, might protect, or at least minimize, any further damage to the fabric of our nation.”