Bill C-70, also called the Countering Foreign Interference Act, aims to strengthen Canada's ability to fight foreign interference. The bill amends several existing laws, such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, the Security of Information Act, the Criminal Code, and the Canada Evidence Act. It also introduces a new law called the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act.
Key changes include updating how CSIS collects and uses data, creating new criminal offenses for actions that benefit foreign entities, and broadening the scope of sabotage laws to include essential infrastructure. The bill also establishes a Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner to oversee a public registry of individuals working on behalf of foreign governments.
These measures are intended to make foreign interference more transparent, deter harmful activities, and protect Canada's national security and democratic processes. The bill also includes provisions to ensure that these new powers are reviewed regularly by Parliament and that individual rights are protected.
Part 3 of the bill focuses on the protection of information. It addresses how information related to international relations, national defense, or national security is handled in court cases. It allows for the appointment of a special lawyer to protect the interests of people who are not part of the government in these cases. It also changes the rules for when someone can appeal a decision about sharing certain information in a criminal case, usually only allowing appeals after the person has been found guilty.
Crime
This bill makes changes to the Criminal Code to broaden the scope of the sabotage offense to include actions related to essential infrastructure. It also creates new offenses under the Security of Information Act for committing crimes, engaging in deceptive conduct, or trying to influence democratic processes at the direction of a foreign entity. These offenses can result in life imprisonment. These changes aim to counter foreign interference and protect national security.
Defense
This bill touches on national defense by amending the Security of Information Act. It broadens the definition of "special operational information" to include military vulnerabilities and advantages. It also allows the government to add or remove Canadian Forces units or positions from a schedule that defines who is permanently bound to secrecy. These changes aim to protect sensitive defense information.