Russian FM Spokeswoman Describes How Canada Passed Law on Foreign Agents
15:34 20.06.2024 (Updated: 15:53 20.06.2024)
© Sputnik . Maksim Blinov
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The statement from the spokeswoman was made against the backdrop of Western criticism of Georgia's "undemocratic" recently adopted law, "On Transparency of Foreign Influence." The law requires NGOs to disclose the source of their funds but does not impose any restrictions on their activities.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted the "unprecedented" speed with which Canada adopted a bill to combat foreign interference in its domestic politics.
Zakharova pointed out that this is happening in a country considered a "citadel of Western values."
"I'm curious what the part of Georgian society that was willing to do anything to repeal the law on foreign agents, justifying their actions by loyalty to 'Western values' will feel now. So, Canada. It doesn't get more Western (in every sense)," she wrote in her Telegram channel.
She mentioned that the entire process took just a month and a half, which is very fast for such an important legal change. The bill proposes creating a registry of foreign agents, restricting embassies' staff, and setting up a commissioner's office to monitor foreign influence.
Zakharova brought up the chronology of the Canadian authorities' introduction and approval of the bill to create a registry of foreign agents, beginning on May 3 and ending on June 18:
May 3. Judge Marie-Josee Hogue from the Quebec Court of Appeal, who led the investigation into foreign interference in state affairs on behalf of the Trudeau regime, publishes a nearly 200-page report.
May 6. The Canadian government, presumably putting aside all other important matters, introduces a bill on strict registration of foreign agents to the lower house of parliament.
May 29. The bill passes its second reading in the lower house. The document is approved.
June 13. The bill passes its third reading in the lower house. Approved unanimously. Of course, this is Canada, democracy, and pluralism of opinions.
June 13 (the same day!). Immediately directed to the first reading in the upper house of parliament, the Senate.
June 17. The bill passes its second reading in the Senate. Approved. Obviously, the senators read the document in one go, all 194 pages.
June 18. The bill is approved by the relevant Senate committee.
Simultaneously, Zakharova noted, 14 groups of Canadian dissidents wrote an open letter urging to "stop this parliamentary emergency and return to normal work, as it is obvious that all this is an attempt to push a repressive law through parliament ahead of next year's parliamentary elections (the results of which determine the fate of the executive branch)."
"Members of Parliament openly admit that they have not read the document itself; they are just collectively voting for it. Thus, Prime Minister Trudeau's regime is pushing through an enhanced and tougher version of the American Foreign Agents Registration Act through an agreeable parliament. This is Canada. It doesn't get more Western (or worse?). The citadel of 'Western values'," she emphasized.
In late May, the parliament in a South Caucasian country, Georgia, overrode a presidential veto to pass a new "foreign agents" law requiring foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and media that receive more than 20% of funding from abroad to register and declare their finances for 2023 and disclose their donors.
This proposal was seen by some as an effort to increase transparency and curb foreign interference in domestic affairs. However, it sparked mass protests on the Georgian capital streets, as well as threats of sanctions from the United States and the European Union. Critics argued that the law contradicted "Western values" of democracy and freedom, potentially stifling dissent and mimicking restrictive policies seen in "more authoritarian regimes."
The bill was adopted as law in early June despite street protests. The US immediately announced sanctions against several Georgian politicians who supported the legislation, while the EU threatened to freeze the country's candidate status to join the bloc.
