The federal government has determined there are upward of 2,400 businesses or individuals in Canada working for foreign nations to sway local politics and administrations.
And these approximately 2,422 individuals and entities will be expected to register with Canada’s foreign agent registry once it’s up and running, according to the proposed regulations published Jan. 3 in the Canada Gazette.
The new draft regulations indicate that 872 individuals and 1,550 businesses are expected to register.
Roughly 93 percent—or 2,252—of these stakeholders are either Canadian citizens, institutions, and individuals residing in Canada, the publication said. It estimates 1,441 businesses and 811 individuals are Canadian. The remaining 7 percent are foreign entities or individuals.
The numbers are based on Australia’s experience with implementing a similar foreign agent registry in 2018.
“In Australia, entities with an office were classified as domestic; those without were considered foreign,” the publication said. “This approach produced the 93 percent–7 percent split, which was then applied to individuals as well.”
The publication also elaborates on the consequences of failing to comply with the proposed rules. Under the suggested regulations, businesses and individuals operating on behalf of a foreign nation in Canada must submit to the future commissioner or face penalties ranging from $50 up to $1 million.
The proposed regulations come more than a year-and-a-half after Parliament’s June 2024 approval of Bill C-70, which guaranteed the creation of a public registry, a tool that the government said would be up and running by the end of last year.
The publication of the suggested rules represents another step toward a fully operational registry, but there are several steps left in the process, including a 30-day consultation period that began on the Jan. 3 publication date.
The Liberals must also appoint a Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner to supervise the registry and Prime Minister Mark Carney has yet to announce a candidate. The Epoch Times contacted the Prime Minister’s office for information about potential candidates but did not receive a response before publication time.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree told the House of Commons Public Safety Committee on Nov. 6, 2025, that a commissioner would be appointed in “short order,” adding that the government is “finalizing” the process and would soon bring forward a name for feedback.
Public Safety Canada told The Epoch Times in an October statement that the department had “a name” in mind for the role, and looked forward to “presenting that name to the opposition” and conducting the appropriate consultations.
Once a candidate has been appointed, the commissioner’s office must then be set up and staff hired. A public safety ministry spokesperson said a secure IT solution must also be developed and implemented and the regulations finalized, before the registry can be officially launched.
The Opposition Conservatives have repeatedly criticized Ottawa for the ongoing delays, blaming both the administration of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the current Carney government for the lack of urgency in implementing the registry, arguing that foreign interference threats continue to multiply as a result.
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong has accused the government of “dragging its feet” on setting up the registry.
Registry Framework
The foreign agent registry is part of a broader set of initiatives specified in 2024’s Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA) to counter foreign interference.
The act establishes a new framework to make legitimate foreign influence activities more transparent by requiring individuals or entities to register if they are acting under the direction of a foreign state. Some of this information would then be published in a public registry to support “greater openness and accountability in foreign influence activities,” according to the act.
Ottawa has said the registry is necessary because nations involved in foreign interference to promote political objectives may hire individuals to act on their behalf without revealing those connections.
It is expected that individuals, companies, non-profit groups, and educational institutions will register to safeguard against such actions, according to the Gazette.
The publication also says that information contained in the registry may remain in the commissioner’s possession for as long as 20 years if the regulations are implemented as suggested. It also notes the commissioner will be paid between $225,300 and $265,000 annually.
The registry has been spurred by the findings of the Foreign Interference Commission. The final report of the commission released last January, said China is “the most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canada’s democratic institutions.”