OTTAWA,
ON, June 21, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable
Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions
and Intergovernmental Affairs, and the Honourable Arif Virani,
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, highlighted that Bill C-70, An
Act respecting countering foreign interference, received Royal
Assent on June 20, 2024.
Bill C-70 bolsters Canada's
ability to detect, disrupt and counter foreign interference threats
to all people in Canada, including
members of diaspora communities, through a series of new measures
and legislative amendments to national security and criminal laws.
It brings the most significant update to the Canadian Security
and Intelligence Service Act (CSIS Act) since the Act was
first brought into force in 1984. The Bill also modernizes foreign
interference offences in the Security of Information Act and
the sabotage offence in the Criminal Code. Finally, Bill
C-70 also made changes to the Canada Evidence Act to
establish a standardized regime for handling sensitive information
in administrative proceedings.
The Bill sets out the framework for a new Foreign Influence
Transparency Registry, which will be administered by an independent
Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner. The coming into force
date of the Foreign Influence Transparency and
Accountability Act (FITAA), which creates the Foreign
Influence Transparency Registry, will be set by the
Governor-in-Council in the coming months.
The changes to the CSIS Act come into force
immediately. Changes to the Security of Information Act, the
modernization of the sabotage offence in the Criminal
Code, and amendments to the Canada Evidence
Act will come into force 60 days after Royal Assent, on
August 19, 2024.
The Government of Canada is
committed to protecting Canada and
individuals in this country from the threat of foreign
interference, and to enhancing our collective resilience against
malign foreign influence. Together, we can better protect Canadian
values, principles, rights and freedoms from malicious actors
threatening to harm them.
Quote
"Our intelligence and law enforcement personnel work around the
clock to protect Canadians. With Bill C-70 becoming law, they will
now be better equipped to detect, disrupt, and counter foreign
interference and take action against those seeking to harm our way
of life. Thank you to all parliamentarians who worked with us to
ensure the swift passage of this legislation."
- The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety,
Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs
"We now have measures in place that will better protect people
in Canada, including diaspora
communities, from the threats of foreign interference. These
reforms to our criminal and national security laws are key to our
country's safety, security, and democracy. Canada's democratic institutions are now
better positioned to face threats from foreign actors."
- The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney
General of Canada
Quick Facts
- Foreign interference includes harmful activities undertaken by
foreign states, or those acting on their behalf, which are
clandestine, deceptive, or involve a threat to any person to
advance the strategic objectives of those states. Foreign
interference poses a threat to all orders of government, the
private sector, academia, diaspora communities and the general
public.
- In 2019, the Government of Canada announced the Plan to Protect Canada's
Democracy. Measures introduced as part of the Plan include the
Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (CEIPP), the Security
and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, the
Digital Citizen Initiative, the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism and the
Canada Declaration on Election Integrity Online. The Government is
committed to continuously improving its defenses, including
elements of the Plan, to ensure Canada remains best protected.
- On March 6, 2023, the Government
of Canada announced a series
of measures to take further action on foreign interference and
strengthen the public's confidence in our democracy.
- From March 10 to May 9, 2023, the
Government held public consultations to guide the creation of a
Foreign Influence Transparency Registry in Canada.
- On September 7, 2023, the
Government of Canada launched the
Foreign Interference Commission to respond to concerns about
foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The
Commission is also examining the flow of information within the
federal government in relation to these issues, evaluating the
actions taken in response, assessing the federal government's
capacity to detect, deter, and counter foreign interference, and
will make recommendations on these issues. The Commission released
its initial report on May 3,
2024, and will deliver its final report by December 31, 2024.
- From November 24, 2023 to
February 2, 2024, the Government of
Canada held additional public
consultations that focused on potential legislative amendments to
the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, the
Criminal Code, the Security of Information Act and
the Canada Evidence Act.
- Budget 2023 provided $48.9
million over three years starting in 2023-24 to the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police to protect people in Canada from harassment and intimidation,
increase its investigative capacity, and more proactively engage
with communities at greater risk of being targeted, as well as
$13.5 million over five years,
starting in 2023-24, and $3.1 million
ongoing to Public Safety Canada to establish a National
Counter-Foreign Interference Office.
- Budget 2024 proposes to provide $655.7 million over eight years, starting in
2024-25, with $191.1 million in
remaining amortization, and $114.7
million ongoing to the Canadian Security Intelligence
Service to enhance its intelligence capabilities.
Related Products
- CSIS Act Amendments: Bolstering Canada's counter-foreign
interference legislation
- Foreign Interference and Canada
- Canada's Foreign Influence
Transparency Registry
- Security of Information Act, Criminal Code and Canada Evidence
Act Amendments: Bolstering Canada's counter-foreign interference
legislation
- Consulting on Canada's Foreign
Influence Transparency Registry: What We Heard Report
- What We Heard and Learned Report: CSIS Act Consultations
- What we heard: Consultation on the proposed reforms to the
Security of Information Act, Criminal Code and Canada Evidence
Act
Associated Links
- Government introduces legislation to counter foreign
interference
- Public Safety Canada's Foreign Interference web pages
- CSIS 2022 Public Report
- Government of Canada launches
consultation on legislative amendments to counter foreign
interference in Canada
- Government of Canada launches
public consultations on a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry
in Canada
- Taking further action on foreign interference and strengthening
confidence in our democracy
- Foreign Interference and You
- Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) Canada
- Cyber Threats to Canada's
Democratic Process: 2023 update
- Protecting Democracy
- Countering an evolving threat: Update on recommendations to
counter foreign interference in Canada's democratic institutions
SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada