Conservative MP says foreign influence registry 'in shambles,' calls for minister to appear before committee

Conservative MP says foreign influence registry 'in shambles,' calls for minister to appear before committee

Public safety minister defends new office and its commissioner

Conservative MP Michael Cooper is calling on Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to appear before a parliamentary committee, saying Canada's new foreign influence registry is "in shambles."

In an interview with CBC News, Cooper said Tuesday's committee appearance by Foreign Influence Commissioner Anton Boegman revealed serious problems with compliance with the new law as well as the operations of the commissioner's office.

While Boegman legally took office on Aug. 4, the public safety department has had nearly two-and-a-half years since Parliament adopted legislation calling for a foreign influence registry to get it right, Cooper said.

"Given the testimony of Mr. Boegman this week, it is absolutely essential that the minister come to committee and explain why things are where they are at, why the registry is in shambles and what steps he's taking to ensure that the law is complied with, because registering is not optional — it is the law."

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While Anandasangaree had been invited to appear before the committee on Oct. 6, his office told the committee he wasn't available. Another date for him to appear has not yet been set.

Cooper's comments come after Boegman revealed that while the Public Safety Department had originally estimated 2,422 individuals or entities would have to register with Canada's fledgling foreign influence registry, to date there are only two entries in the public registry and another 30 who submitted their paperwork just before the Oct. 4 deadline to register pre-existing arrangements to influence public officials on the part of foreign governments.

Legislation adopted by Parliament in 2024, which finally went into effect on Aug. 4, requires all those who receive a benefit to influence a Canadian political or governmental process on behalf of foreign governments or a foreign government entity to be listed in a public registry.

The law was adopted following reports that foreign interests had tried to interfere with Canadian electoral contests.

Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner Anton Boegman was sworn in to the newly created position over the summer. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Boegman also confirmed during his testimony that his office has had two privacy breaches since it opened its doors in August and there have been several technical problems — the result, he said, of the IT system being set up as a "minimum viable product" to allow it to begin operating in early August.

"It seems to me that there most certainly is mismanagement and incompetence, that's clear," said Cooper. "I can't speak to if there are other issues, but clearly after two-and-a-half years to get a registry set up, factors like a one per cent compliance rate and a whole host of other issues with the registry demonstrates that."

During question period, Anandasangaree defended the foreign influence commissioner's office.

"Mr. Boegman is seized with establishing the registry, which is already done. He is in the process of registering and onboarding those who are required to register," he said.

"Those who do not comply will face the full consequences of the law."

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Speaking to reporters after his testimony before MPs, Boegman said he has reached out to 60 groups and individuals involved with the Alberta referendum campaign to remind them that they have to register with the foreign influence registry if they meet the criteria.

On Oct. 3, the Globe and Mail reported that as recently as April, some of those campaigning for Alberta independence had met on both sides of the border with U.S. entities.

CBC News previously reported that some of those meetings took place in U.S. State Department offices in Washington, D.C., last year.

However, Boegman said those meetings don't fall under his mandate because they took place prior to the registry going into effect.

Cooper isn't the only political figure unhappy with the way the government has been handling the establishment of the registry.

Former NDP MP Charlie Angus says his concerns earlier this year about U.S. interference in Alberta's sovereignty movement were ignored by public safety officials. (CBC)

On June 8, former NDP MP Charlie Angus held a news conference and published an online article calling on the foreign influence commissioner to investigate reports of meetings and offers of money from U.S. government officials to individuals advocating Alberta separatism. He also urged concerned members of the public to contact the commissioner's office.

The result was an email to Angus from an unnamed Public Safety Department official saying that while Boegman had been approved by both the House of Commons and Senate, he wouldn't legally be appointed until regulations were adopted. It then directed Angus and his supporters to send inquiries in the future to an electronic correspondence form.

"Do they take this seriously or do they not?" Angus asked in an interview this week. "My belief is that they're not taking this seriously at all."

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Angus, who voted in 2024 for the legislation that created the registry and Boegman's position, was also critical of Boegman's response that his mandate doesn't cover things that happened before he was legally appointed.

"I think his response is ridiculous. The world didn't start when his office opened up. He should have been well aware. This is the biggest threat to our sovereignty in 100 years."

Angus said Boegman is supposed to investigate foreign interference.

"This is not a credible institution. Why are we paying for this?"

Boegman's office has not yet responded to questions from CBC News.

Award-winning reporter Elizabeth Thompson covers Parliament Hill & the federal government. A veteran of the Montreal Gazette, Sun Media & iPolitics, she works in the CBC's Parliamentary bureau, specializing in investigative reporting & data journalism. She's also a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Send story tips confidentially via Signal to ElizabethThompson.26