The Epoch Times has confirmed that Liberal MP Chandra Arya sponsored a citizen petition against a foreign agent registry in April, which was drafted by Sen. Yuen Pau Woo. Woo stated that he provided input to the petition drafting process at the request of concerned citizens. The petition was initiated by Li Wang and argues that a foreign influence registry would be a risk for racialized communities and a misleading way to identify sources of foreign influence. While opposition parties and diaspora groups have called for Canada to enact a foreign agent registration act, Woo has been outspoken against such legislation and has advocated for closer ties between Canada and China, citing issues of residential schools for indigenous people in Canada. Woo is a member of the Independent Senator’s Group and was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016. Sen. Victor Oh has also been critical of the proposed legislation and has urged Chinese Canadians to support the petition initiated by Wang. Oh has voiced support for some Chinese associations in Canada that have a history of taking positions aligned with Beijing.
Woo created petition against foreign agent registry for House.
