🇨🇦 Your MPs Still Flying on Foreign Money — Just Not From Official Lobbyists

Canada banned registered lobbyists from gifting MPs free travel in 2023. Result? Lobbyist-funded trips collapsed from $409K to zero. But trips funded by foreign governments and unregistered groups barely budged. Taiwan's diplomatic office alone spent $343K flying 34 MPs since 2023. China, India, and others still rolling out red carpets. The loophole is intentional: if you don't register as a lobbyist, you can still buy access.

Democracy Watch calls it legalized bribery. They're right. These aren't study trips, they're influence operations with parliamentary boarding passes. And there's zero enforcement. The foreign influence commissioner meant to oversee this? Still tangled in red tape months after approval. Meanwhile your MP is learning about Taiwan-Canada relations over state-funded dinners in Taipei, then coming home to vote on foreign policy. Sovereignty for sale, one business class ticket at a time.

🍁 Maple Chronicles