Canada’s foreign influence commissioner says he expects registrations under the new registry to increase in the coming months, after a Conservative MP said fewer than 1 percent of the 2,422 registrations estimated by Public Safety Canada have been made so far.
“As the information becomes better known, I expect that as individuals understand more about the registry, that the numbers of registrants will increase,” Commissioner Anton Boegman told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs on Oct. 6.
The foreign influence registry, which officially launched on Aug. 4, is intended to allow Canadians to see which individuals or organizations are acting on behalf of foreign states to influence Canada’s political or governmental processes. The registry states that individuals or organizations that enter into arrangements with “foreign principals” may be required to register….