The Communist Party of Canada condemns the continuation of the Foreign Interference Inquiry this fall. The Inquiry, initiated by a CSIS propaganda campaign, constitutes neo-McCarthyism which threatens democracy and the rights of immigrants while preparing the public for war.
The government’s actions coming out of the first round of the inquiry in the spring were to establish a Foreign Agents Registry and expand CSIS’s powers. This represents an alarming erosion of civil liberties, disproportionately targeting immigrant communities and stoking fear and xenophobia without offering meaningful solutions. This inquiry, which is reconvening, lacks transparency, as senior security officials and the government have presented heavily redacted evidence, leaving the Canadian public in the dark.
The introduction of the Foreign Agents Registry further cements this dangerous trajectory. While the government claims that the registry will help counter foreign influence, it ignores the real political interference that has been happening for years from powerful foreign actors such as the United States and Israel. This hypocrisy is glaring, as neither CSIS nor the government has ever seriously investigated or condemned the political interference of these countries or other close allies of Canadian imperialism.
The United States, through its economic, military, and political ties, wields far more influence over Canadian policy than any other country. For decades, corporate U.S. interests have shaped Canada’s foreign policy, trade agreements, and military commitments. The quiet integration of Canadian military and intelligence services into U.S. imperialist objectives through NATO and NORAD ensures that Canada remains tied to the U.S. global strategy of military intervention and economic dominance.
Similarly, the influence of Israel on Canadian politics has been significant and largely ignored by both the government and CSIS. Israel maintains strong connections to various Canadian organizations, including political advocacy groups and think tanks. For instance, groups like the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and B’nai Brith Canada lobby on behalf of Israeli interests and exert considerable pressure on Canadian foreign policy regarding Palestine. Politicians across party lines have routinely supported Israel’s policies, even when those policies involve violations of international law, such as illegal settlement expansion in Palestinian territories. The deep ties between Israel and Canadian political organizations make it clear that interference from Israel far surpasses the alleged foreign influence from China or Russia that the inquiry focuses on. Yet, these facts are consistently overlooked in favor of stoking anti-China sentiment.
This inquiry is not about protecting Canadian democracy. Rather, it is a tool to push forward anti-Communist, anti-China propaganda and prepare Canada for further integration into U.S.-led global conflicts. Working-class Canadians and immigrant communities have the most to lose from this escalation, as the inquiry and proposed registry serve to suppress political dissent and divide Canadians along racial lines, reinforcing xenophobia and fear.
In June, CSIS, through a National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians report that was made public, alleged that Members of Parliament were “‘semi-witting or witting’ participants in efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics. Again the public was presented with no evidence besides that which would be presented to parliamentary party leaders in secret. Elizabeth May, the leader of the Green Party, underlined that there was no proof of MPs being involved in illegal foreign interference. Yet, political parties such as the Conservatives and elements of the NDP have recklessly endorsed these baseless claims, contributing to a growing climate of fear and suspicion.
We only need to look at the Communist Party’s own history to see where this can lead. One of the first McCarthyist era anti-Communist attacks was the expulsion of Communist Party of Canada MP Fred Rose from Parliament on false charges of foreign interference which led to his deportation from the country.
The Communist Party condemns these new unproven accusations against MPs as irresponsible and damaging to democratic discourse, particularly as they detract from the real issues of economic and environmental crisis that Canada faces today.
The Communist Party demands an immediate cessation of the Foreign Interference Inquiry and a thorough investigation into CSIS’s role in inflaming xenophobia and advancing militarism. Furthermore, the government should turn its attention to the far more significant political interference posed by allies like the U.S. which more than any other country has shaped Canadian foreign and domestic policy.
The Canadian public deserves to know the truth about the real sources of political interference, which undoubtedly include interference from Canada’s spy agency which is manipulating the political arena. The Communist Party calls for all progressive organizations, unions, and democratic forces to unite against this neo-McCarthyism and fight for a foreign policy based on peace, disarmament, and true sovereignty.
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada