Public Safety committee  I would echo Mehmet's point on this. I think the capacity that China has to engage in a level of interference calls for a separate focus on China. In that regard, I would certainly put China in the overarching focus of foreign interference just because of their capacity.

Public Safety committee  I think one of the available mechanisms to deal with this—albeit maybe this is not within the scope of this committee—is the principle of reciprocity. I think it is an important mechanism to solve this problem. I had a chance to speak on this in the foreign affairs committee last year.

Public Safety committee  I think the bill covers a lot of things. As a human rights activist, I find it quite encouraging, and I mentioned this in my opening remarks. Also, the analytical reports submitted, I think, just yesterday by Sarah Teich and Hannah Taylor mention that many of the amendments in the legislation are quite encouraging.

Public Safety committee  I echo the point of my colleague and friend, Mehmet. I think the timing is of concern. We need to get this passed and implemented before the next election. We are part of a coalition that is actively working on the foreign influence registry act, which includes an activist from Canada and Hong Kong named Gloria Fung, who will be testifying, I think, in a couple of days here at this same committee.

Public Safety committee  Again, with colleagues from Hong Kong leading this discussion, one of the points raised in our discussion was the definition of proxies in the foreign influence registration act. If possible, that needs to be clearly defined.

Public Safety committee  I think everyone agrees that the commissioner should be independent. I think this whole discussion on foreign interference has involved a lot of consultations with the various parties and stakeholders involved. The idea of keeping the commissioner independent is very important for everyone, including for witnesses like us.

Public Safety committee  I would like to go back to my focus on the need to define transnational repression. If the legislation does not include a clear definition of transnational repression, I think it gives an opportunity for authoritarian states like China to go around the legislation and coerce diaspora communities, including Tibetans, to do what they want them to do.

Public Safety committee  I would add that depending upon the level of seriousness of information that is available from CSIS about the citizen, if the information is serious enough and if it could possibly help prevent any danger to the citizen, then I think the information should be made available or shared with the concerned citizen.

Public Safety committee  Thank you, Chair and committee members. I deeply appreciate this opportunity to speak with you today on the important matter of countering foreign interference. I would like to thank everyone involved for taking this matter seriously and for the detailed process to develop countering measures.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As I mentioned in my opening remarks, GAC has funded this. As far as my knowledge is concerned, this is the second project that has been funded in the last six years, and the project is still going on. The project deals with helping Tibetan schools in India and Nepal—covering over 76 Tibetan schools—by offering them the opportunity to learn in their own Tibetan language.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Certainly, if there is a scope for expansion of the committee, invitations should be sent to Tibetan human rights defenders from inside Tibet. Many committee members would know the story of Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk, who was sentenced to five years in prison just for advocating and speaking about the preservation and promotion of the Tibetan language to a New York Times reporter.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for this very important question. The best person to really answer this question would be my colleague who is actually sitting here today, because Chemi Lhamo has been a victim. Chemi.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I would say there are certainly many other countries that have taken a strong position on the issue of not only the human rights but also the political issue of Tibet. I would cite the example of the bills that were passed in the U.S. in recent years. The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act was passed in the U.S., and the Tibetan Policy and Support Act was passed in the U.S.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think the fact that we're having this meeting is a recognition of Canada's active interest on this issue. The fact that we recently had, on December 14, a unanimously passed motion supporting the resumption of Sino-Tibetan dialogue is a sign that Canada shows an increasing interest in resolving the human rights issues and in resolving the Sino-Tibetan conflict.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for the question. I think the threat is mainly applicable to Tibetans who still have families in Tibet, which is what the Chinese government often uses to coerce and self-censor Tibetans living in exile. I didn't really have much fear when I joined Tibet advocacy and when I started speaking out in Canada for human rights in Tibet, but in recent times, after hearing more stories about Chinese influence and interference in Canada, and especially after hearing the stories of the existence of Chinese police stations in Canada, it really gave me a sense of fear about whether I am safe or not.