Mr. Speaker, I will begin by thanking the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for his leadership this week on the important motion that was passed yesterday in the House of Commons, which is obviously under active consideration by the government.
We recognize as a government that foreign interference presents a strategic long-term threat to Canada, to the rights of Canadians and our democratic values, to our economic interests and to our national security and sovereignty. Canadians should know that their government takes all allegations of hostile state activities seriously. The Government of Canada values transparency as a core value and works diligently to ensure that Canadians are protected from foreign influence.
As members are aware, the Lobbying Act recognizes that the public should know who is engaged in lobbying activities of public officials and it also regulates those activities. The Commissioner of Lobbying further supports these efforts through investigatory powers to ensure that there is compliance. The Conflict of Interest Act establishes clear rules for public office holders in order to minimize the possibility of conflicts arising from private interests and public duties. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and the Senate Ethics Officer actively work to ensure that public officer holders respect these rules. Moreover, the Canada Elections Act clearly prohibits foreign involvement in any kind of political activity regarding elections and during pre-election periods.
With respect to the exact question, the government is focused on protecting Canadian democracy from foreign influence, and a registry of foreign agent is something that we are actively considering. We are aware that some of our allies, namely, the United States and Australia, already have foreign agent registries in place and we are studying that. We want to make sure that we have a Canadian solution for a Canadian problem.
The safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad is, and always will be, our number one priority.