Just months after ICIJ’s China Targets investigation, the country has confirmed that countering foreign influence is an “utmost priority” for the government.

Canada will appoint its first foreign interference commissioner next month as part of a package of reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to fight back against transnational repression, a government minister has confirmed.

Speaking with ICIJ [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists] media partner CBC News, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree confirmed that the government has already begun vetting potential candidates for the watchdog role, and plans to present options to lawmakers for review by mid-September.

The move comes months after ICIJ and its media partners published the China Targets investigation, which showed how Beijing has used sinister tactics to silence critics of the Chinese government beyond its borders. In Canada, CBC News uncovered cases of intimidation and harassment against a Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate in exile and a pro-Taiwan activist that included the circulation of deepfake, sexually explicit images online and threats against the activist’s family members still living in China.

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Jenny Kwan, a member of the left-leaning New Democratic Party who herself is an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government according to Canada’s intelligence agency, told ICIJ media partner CBC News at the time that countering transnational repression has become an urgent matter.

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The new watchdog position in Canada was mandated by legislation passed in June 2024 following a public inquiry into foreign interference. The legislation also includes provisions to create a public registry of foreign agents, which Anandasangaree said would likely be ready before the end of the year.

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