Canada is set to name its first foreign interference commissioner. Foreign interference legislation adopted by Parliament in 2024 obliges the government to consult opposition parties before formally naming a candidate. Anandasangaree's comments come a year-and-a-half after Parliament voted to create the position, as well as a foreign interference registry listing those who have made arrangements to work in Canada as agents on behalf of foreign governments. In January 2025, an inquiry headed by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue concluded in its final report that transnational repression in Canada was a "genuine scourge" and that the People's Republic of China was the "most active perpetrator of foreign interference targeting Canadian democratic institutions." Anandasangaree's comments also come months after an investigation by CBC News documented cases of Chinese transnational repression in Canada.

Source: CBC News January 27, 2026 10:21 UTC