Canada's foreign influence watchdog, Anton Boegman, stated that meetings between Alberta separatists and U.S. government officials prior to August 4 do not need to be registered under Canada’s new foreign influence law. As of now, fewer than three dozen submissions have been received by the registry since its implementation. Boegman emphasized his focus on current activities and mentioned reaching out to over sixty individuals or groups involved in the Alberta referendum campaign for awareness about registration requirements. However, meetings with U.S. entities that occurred before the registry's enactment are exempt from this regulation.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Past Alberta separatist meetings in U.S. don't fall under foreign influence registry: watchdog
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meetings → fall → registry
Fewer than 3 dozen submissions to registry received before deadline
Meetings between advocates of Alberta separation and American government officials don't have to be included in Canada's new foreign influence registry because they took place before the registry went into effect, says Canada's foreign influence watchdog.
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watchdog → receive → effect
Speaking to reporters after appearing before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday, Anton Boegman said the law is very specific about what his mandate covers and what it doesn't.
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it → speak → what
"The law just came into force on Aug. 4," Boegman said.
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Boegman → come → Aug.
"So, there are things that may have taken place previously that are not applicable now.
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that → be → place
But, certainly, we're focused on what's taking place right now."
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what → take → place
On Oct. 3, the Globe and Mail reported that as recently as April, some of those campaigning for Alberta independence had met on both sides of the border with U.S. entities.
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some → report → entities
CBC News previously reported that some of those meetings took place in U.S. State Department offices in Washington, D.C., last year.
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some → report → Washington
Boegman said he has reached out to more than 60 people or groups involved in the Alberta referendum, including the Alberta Prosperity Project, one of the groups that the State Department confirmed it had met with.
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it → say → that
"These are people who are engaged in the debate," he said.
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he → engage → debate
"We wanted to make sure that they were aware of what the requirements are of our law, so if they did meet those, that they could then register."
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they → want → those
However, Boegman said he has not reached out to any Americans.
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he → say → Americans
Boegman said under his mandate, individuals attempting to influence Canadian politics on behalf of a foreign government or foreign government entity have to register.
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individuals → say → government
However, if someone is being paid by a foreign think-tank or foundation to influence, it isn't covered under his mandate.
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it → pay → mandate
"I administer my mandate," he said.
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he → administer → mandate
"There are other agencies that have roles to play in this space.
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that → be → space
CSIS has a role to play.
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CSIS → have → role
RCMP has a role to play.
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RCMP → have → role
[Global Affairs Canada] has a role to play.
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Canada → have → role
So there's other agencies that are part of the collective response to issues.
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that → be → issues
New foreign influence office won't prevent foreign interference, commissioner says
Foreign influence commissioner could monitor an Alberta referendum on separation
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commissioner → prevent → separation
Former B.C. chief electoral officer poised to become Canada's first foreign influence watchdog
That means that the Defense Analyses and Research Corporation, the U.S. think-tank that was reported during the Quebec election to have tried to get a Parti Québécois government elected, would not be covered under the federal foreign influence law because it is not a foreign government entity.
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it → poise → law
Boegman could not say if his office has received registrations from anyone working on behalf of a foreign government to influence the Alberta referendum or whether any registrations his office may have received would be included in the foreign influence registry before Albertans vote on Oct. 19.
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Albertans → say → Oct.
"I have not yet looked at that information," he said.
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he → look → information
"I'm getting briefed on it this week.
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I → brief → it
Earlier, during testimony before the House of Commons procedures and House affairs committee, Boegman revealed that his office received only 30 submissions by the Oct. 4 deadline to register pre-existing arrangements, despite an estimate by the Public Safety Department that 2,422 individuals or organizations would meet the criteria for having to register foreign influence activities.
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individuals → reveal → activities
New arrangements with foreign principals must be registered within 14 days.
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arrangements → register → days
Two months after the registry came into effect, only two entries appear in the public registry.
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entries → come → registry
A third, that was briefly published and withdrawn, will eventually be published again.
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that → publish → ?
Conservative MP Michael Cooper, seen here in 2023, grilled Boegman over problems with the new foreign influence office.
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Cooper → see → office
Conservative MP Michael Cooper seized on the number, pointing out that the registrations received to date is a small fraction of what Public Safety had estimated.
"It certainly doesn't exactly instill confidence," he said.
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he → seize → confidence
Cooper also grilled Boegman about two privacy breaches by his office and repeated technical problems with the registry, despite $29.4 million earmarked by Public Safety for its IT systems.
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Cooper → grill → systems
Boegman said the system was set up as a "minimum viable product" to launch on Aug. 4 and his office is working to rectify the problems.
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office → say → problems
He said his office is also working to spread the word about the need for those engaged in foreign influence to register and will decide what steps to take next after reviewing the registrations that have been submitted.
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that → say → registrations
The Aporia
