Chinese B.C. community tells FBI about intimidation by foreign powers and agents
Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said this confirmed the need for registration of foreign agents
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said members of Vancouver’s Chinese community told him of “intimidation, harassment and abuse” related to foreign governments or their agents, confirming the need for foreign agent registration.
Mendicino said he met with various segments of the local community on Wednesday, including people with Chinese heritage or cultural ties.
The minister did not specify who had been invited to the meeting, saying only that it included community advocates, business leaders and representatives.
Mendicino said some people told him they feared reprisals if they spoke out about foreign interference, which he said “reinforced” the need to register surrogates.
The federal government announced in March that it wanted to hear Canadians’ views on creating a foreign influence transparency registry to help prevent interference in Canadian affairs.
The issue has been under debate after media reports, citing unnamed security sources and classified documents, warned that China had attempted to interfere in the last two federal elections, as well as a municipal election in Vancouver.
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