Trudeau urges caution to ensure foreign influence registry doesn't target diasporas

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited the internment of Japanese- and Italian-Canadians during the Second World War on Monday as he urged caution in the face of growing calls for Canada to adopt a registry to track foreign influence efforts.

Speaking at a news conference in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, Trudeau acknowledged the federal government must find better ways to protect Canadians following reports of alleged interference by China in recent Canadian elections.

But the prime minister insisted a balance must be struck to ensure any new measures are not too broad and do not target certain diaspora groups, such as Chinese-Canadians.

"Canada has had difficult historical experiences that we need to learn from when it comes to creating foreign-agent registries or registries of foreigners in Canada," he added.

"One has to only think of the internment of Japanese citizens, or Japanese-Canadians or Italian-Canadians during the past world wars to know that we must be very, very careful with these things."

Some 22,000 Japanese-Canadians were stripped of their belongings, forced from their homes and relocated into internment camps starting in early 1942, even though the vast majority of them were Canadian citizens.

About 600 Italian-Canadians faced similar treatment and another 31,000 were declared "enemy aliens" after Italy joined Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The federal government has since apologized to both communities.

The issue of foreign interference has been under debate amid media reports citing unnamed security sources and classified documents that allege China tried to interfere in the last two federal elections, as well as the recent municipal election in Vancouver.

On Monday, Trudeau said Chinese-Canadians are often the "first targets" of interference efforts by Beijing and that any measure adopted by Canada must ensure vulnerable diaspora communities are not unduly hurt or affected.

He added that other groups, such as Iranian-Canadians, have been similarly targeted.

"That's why we're taking the time to consult appropriately on the foreign agent registry, and making sure that we're using it in the right ways."

Feds consulting on registry

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced last month that the Liberal government was beginning consultations on setting up a registry as part of its response to allegations of Chinese interference in recent Canadian elections.

The registry would require people who act on behalf of a foreign state to advance its goals to disclose their ties to the government employing them. It would be another tool, Mendicino said, to prevent other countries from meddling in Canada's affairs.

The idea of such a registry, which exists in Australia and the United States, is to make those dealings more transparent, with the possibility of fines or even prison time for failing to comply.

The consultations run until May 9, including through a virtual portal on the Department of Public Safety's website.

In an interview with The Canadian Press last week, Mendicino said he met with a "robust cross-section" of Chinese Canadian community members who reinforced the need for a registry of agents acting on behalf of foreign governments in Canada.

Trudeau would not say whether the registry could be in place before the next federal election. The timing of that vote depends in part on the minority government's supply and confidence agreement with the federal New Democrats.