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Federal Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act 

From: Trevor Young, Vice-President & Provost and 
Leah Cowen, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives 
Date: August 7, 2026 
Re: Federal Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act 

Dear Colleagues,  

We are writing to make you aware that the Government of Canada has published Regulations under the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act, which may impact some members of our community. The Regulations and Act came into force on August 4, 2026.  The University, working with the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, is continuing to engage with Public Safety Canada to better understand the application of this law to our context and we will keep you updated as more guidance is available.  

The Act and Regulations create a public registry (and independent Commissioner to oversee it) to make foreign influence activities in Canadian political or governmental processes more transparent.   

As written, the law requires registration whenever all three of the following requirements are met: 

  1. An individual or institution has an arrangement with a foreign principal, including a foreign power or state, a foreign entity (such as an organization or institution), a foreign economic entity, or an individual acting on their behalf. 
  1. The arrangement, either under the direction of, or in association with, a foreign principal, engages in activities in relation to a Canadian political or governmental process, including:  
  • Any proceeding of a legislative body; 
  • The development of a legislative proposal; 
  • The development or amendment of any government/political policy or program; 
  • The making of a decision by public office holder or government body, including the awarding of a contract; 
  • The holding of an election or referendum; or 
  • The nomination of a candidate or the development of an electoral platform by a political party. 

3. The arrangement involves any of the following activities: 

  • Communicating with a public office holder; 
  • Communicating or disseminating information by any means, including social media, that is related to the political or governmental process; or 
  • Providing money, services, use of facilities or items of value.  

For any arrangements that were in place prior to August 4, the law requires registration within 60 days (i.e., October 3, 2026). For any arrangements that arise on or after August 4, registration must occur within 14 days.  

Until we are able to obtain further guidance, community members and offices at the University may wish to register whenever the three criteria set out above appear to be met.  We will provide further information as it becomes available.  Those with questions can contact  researchsecurity@utoronto.ca.   

For details on how to register, please refer to the following website: https://www.canada.ca/en/foreign-influence-commissioner/how-to-register.html. 

For additional information regarding the law, please refer to the Government of Canada’s FAQ website: https://www.canada.ca/en/foreign-influence-commissioner/registration-compliance.html. 

Additional guidance can also be found in Interpretation Bulletins posted this week.