The government cares about foreign interference
LETTERS
Re: Beijing’s agenda: China wants to sway our elections and the Liberals don’t care, Terry Glavin, Dec. 14 The Government of Canada takes seriously threats of foreign influence in our electoral system. When Prime Minister Trudeau appointed me as Canada’s Minister of Democratic Institutions, he included in my mandate direction to lead the government’s efforts to defend the Canadian electoral process from cyber threats, and to review limits to third-party spending to ensure that our democratic institutions are strong, secure, and protected from foreign threats. I am pleased to say that work is well underway on these fronts.
Only Canadian citizens and permanent residents can make contributions to political entities. The Canada Elections Act prohibits registered foreign third parties, and prohibits third parties from using foreign contributions for election advertising expenses. There are tough, fair laws in place today that apply to third-party spending and election activity, but I believe that there is more work to be done. Through Bill C- 50, our government is proposing amendments to the Canada Elections Act that will enact a more transparent advertising and reporting regime for fundraising events attended by Ministers, party leaders and leadership contestants. This legislation has passed second reading in the House, but the Liberal Party of Canada has already gone ahead and adopted these practices as its own.
I was pleased to see Mr. Glavin’s recent opinion piece focus on the need for protecting our democracy from foreign threats, because Canadians need to be aware of the ways in which actors outside our borders may seek to influence our domestic politics. Our allies around the world face similar challenges; Canada is not alone in this regard. I was also glad to read in his piece that Senator Frum is keen to move forward on these issues and look forward to her support once C-50 reaches the Senate. I remain committed to continuing to engage with Canadians on this issue in the new year, and will keep working with members from all parties to ensure our democratic institutions are protected against foreign influence. Karina Gould, Minister of Democratic Institutions