Concern Group Statement on the Passing of Bill C-70 The Chinese Canadian Concern Groups on Chinese Communist Party's Human Rights Violations is a grassroots group formed in early with a specific focus on the Chinese Communist Party's Human Rights Violations. It was formed after witnessing an alarming rise of PRC's infiltrations into Canada and the crushing of millions protesting in Hong Kong.

Among our members are long-time China observers and professionals, including a former editor-in-chief of a local Chinese language media, news commentator, activists, cyber security expert, and engineer within the Chinese Canadian community. In response to PRC's pervasive undue influences, we have issued numerous statements, press releases, open letters, as well as responded to interviews by media in three languages. Our Concern Group is a participant of the Foreign Interference Commission. China's interference is real, serious, and needs to be stopped.

Its interference is widespread, deep, and reaches the highest levels. We are glad to see that the government has finally tabled Bill C-70 Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA), and we treasure the fact that all political parties are working together to have this bill passed speedily. Nevertheless, we are also very disappointed that crucial recommendations to ensure that Canada will have an effective foreign agents registry are not adopted. Here are the crucial recommendations that would make a real and meaningful difference.

Recommendation: The registry should also cover political party leadership contests and elections for internal political party offices. As the recently released NSICIP report has clearly stated, proxies of foreign states have tried to interfere with leadership nominations. It is beyond our comprehension why the foreign agents registry will not cover political party leadership contests and elections for internal political party offices.

RECOMMENDATION: Scrap the Administrative Monetary Penalty We have reviewed similar laws in Australia (Foreign Influence Transparency Schemes - FITS), the United States (Foreign Agents Registration Act - FARA), as well as the United Kingdom's Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, and they do not have Administrative Monetary Penalty as a penalty for people in violation of the foreign influence/registry law. In these countries, an offense to carry out political influence activities pursuant to an unregistered foreign influence could result in a fine and/or imprisonment.

For example, in the UK, it could be imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or a fine, or both. However, for Canada, it would very likely be an Administrative Monetary Penalty, i.e. a fine of $500, as we have seen in the Vancouver East free lunch incident in the federal election. Our registry should have the strength to deter clandestine interference by proxies of hostile foreign states. The Administrative Monetary Penalty will undermine the deterrence factor and turn our efforts into a laughing matter.

RECOMMENDATION: Add an 'enhanced tier' into FITAA styled on the UK Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS). This would allow the Canadian government, with parliamentary approval, to impose more stringent reporting and disclosure requirements on specific foreign countries or entities of particular concern If used appropriately, the 'Enhanced Tier' could overcome some of the problems encountered by Australia's country-agnostic FITS.

For example, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has pointed out that the activities of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party, a key international activist and propaganda arm of the Chinese government, is entirely missing from the FITS registry, as well as the role played by Confucius Institutes at Australian universities. Placing these groups on a UK-style 'Enhanced Tier' would avoid this issue.

We understand that some of the witnesses invited to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security hearing last week, and groups that have been advocating for the foreign agents registry have also sent the above recommendations, and we are disappointed that the committee has ignored them. -30- Spokesperson: Mabel Tung: 604-328-9346 Chinese Canadian Concern Group on Chinese Communist Party's Human Rights Violations