Senator Boehm, I think it is an excellent idea. You have a long experience as a senior official in our foreign affairs department. You, certainly more than I, would know the details around that important distinction because therein absolutely lies the challenge. The normal diplomatic representation that countries do, advocating in a perfectly appropriate context, does not constitute foreign interference, which has at its outset a malicious intent. In many cases, it is done in a non-transparent way; proxy agents are often used. You would know from your previous work in our foreign affairs department, senator, examples that I wouldn’t be familiar with.

The more we can help people understand that important difference, the more people can properly participate in what would be a very normal and positive democratic process, understanding the views of different governments and meeting with diplomatic officials who are advocating these points of view. So if it is parliamentarians in this place or in our place or people who work with them, they should be confident that they are doing so in the appropriate way and able to recognize the difference — which is very significant — between a malicious attempt to interfere in the affairs of Canada or the democratic process and absolutely normal and protected work that Canada does in other countries that we would welcome other countries to do in Canada as well.

Senator Boehm, absolutely. I would do so with pleasure. We have a Five Eyes ministerial meeting scheduled for next week. I am happy to ask my department and groups like CSIS and others to prepare information on best practices. You are right: The Five Eyes would be the obvious place to start looking for those best practices. I would be happy to work with the appropriate representatives of the Senate and the House of Commons to make that information available in the appropriate way, both to senators and the people who work with you. I am happy to do that, senator. Thank you.