Foreign Influence Transparency Regulations

Summary#

These are proposed Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Regulations under the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act. Published by Public Safety Canada on January 3, 2026, they would set out what people and groups must report when they act for a foreign principal, create a public registry, and give an independent commissioner tools to enforce the rules.

What it does#

• Sets rules about what information people and organizations must give the Commissioner when they enter an arrangement with a foreign principal. That includes who is involved, the arrangement’s purpose, and the types of influence activities (communication with public office holders, public messaging, or provision of money/items/services).
• Requires updates to that information:
  • within 15 days after the end of the month in which something changed; and
  • within 15 days after the end of five consecutive months with no update (a confirmation of “no change” is acceptable).
• Creates a public-facing registry with selected details about registrants, foreign principals, and each arrangement. The Commissioner must keep registry entries for 20 years after an arrangement ends.
• Authorizes certain bodies to share information with the Commissioner and allows the Commissioner to share information with other federal or provincial/territorial election, lobbying or ethics bodies, and security institutions (including those named in Schedule 3 to the Security of Canada Information Disclosure Act). It also lists contributors such as institutions in the schedule to the Privacy Act, the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections, and the Canadian Armed Forces.
• Creates an administrative monetary penalty (AMP) regime with penalties from $50 up to $1,000,000. The Commissioner must weigh factors like compliance history, harm to transparency, intent, ability to pay, and cooperation. The Commissioner can offer compliance agreements to reduce or avoid penalties.

Who's affected#

• Individuals and organizations that enter into arrangements to influence Canadian political or governmental processes on behalf of a foreign principal. The government’s estimate is about 2,422 affected people and businesses (about 872 individuals and 1,550 businesses), of which roughly 93% are Canadian.
• The Government of Canada would set up and run the Commissioner’s office and the registry. The federal cost is estimated at $25.45 million over 2026–2035 to build and staff the system.
• Registrants would face modest administrative costs — about $442.5 thousand in total over 10 years for registrations and updates.
• Small businesses: an estimated 1,009 small businesses could be affected, with an estimated combined net cost of $198.4 thousand over ten years (present value).
• Communities and groups that worry about privacy or stigma (for example, diaspora or racialized communities) are named in the analysis as having particular concerns about how public information could be interpreted.

Why it matters#

• The goal is to make visible who is trying to influence Canadian politics on behalf of foreign interests. That can help journalists, researchers, public office holders and the public see where foreign influence is occurring.
• A public registry and enforcement tools aim to deter covert or non-transparent influence that could harm democratic decision-making.
• There are real trade-offs: the government estimates overall net benefits of $11.21 million over 2026–2035 (benefits $37.11 million vs costs $25.90 million). Those benefits are largely measured as longer-term economic gains tied to greater transparency.
• The proposal also raises privacy and fairness concerns. The analysis flags risks that certain communities could be stigmatized, and it says protections and outreach will be needed to reduce those risks.
• These are proposed regulations, not final. The Canada Gazette notice invited representations within 30 days after publication (January 3, 2026).