Canada's foreign-influence registry struggles after deadline as commissioner faces MPs

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The Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act and its regulations came into force on August 4, 2026. Anton Boegman, formerly British Columbia's chief electoral officer, was appointed as Canada's first Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner to administer and enforce the law and its public registry.

Anyone working under the direction of, or in association with, a foreign principal to influence Canadian political or governmental processes must register within 14 days of entering into an arrangement. Arrangements that existed before August 4 had until October 3, 2026, to register.

The first arrangements appeared on the public registry in mid-September. Reporting in late September found only two names listed publicly, even as the commissioner warned of compliance and enforcement measures, including administrative monetary penalties of up to $1 million, for those who fail to register.

On October 6, Boegman appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, where MPs pressed him on the rollout, including the gap between Public Safety's projection of more than 2,400 potential filers and the number of filings actually made, as well as technical problems with the registry system, according to video coverage of the meeting.

Boegman has said the registry will not "solve foreign interference in Canada" — that task stays with CSIS and national security agencies. Its goal, he said, is to increase transparency around influence activities, in the same country-agnostic spirit as Australia's model rather than a blacklist of states of concern.

In September, Boegman's office also reminded people working with foreign governments ahead of the October 19 Alberta referendum that influence arrangements on the vote must be disclosed on the registry.