In the blowout that has followed, disturbingly little has been said about the vital security issues Fadden raised, said David Harris, former chief of strategic planning for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Harris is uneasy that some of the outrage directed at Fadden over remarks he made in a CBC interview is masking the very real threat foreign influence poses to Canada’s national sovereignty.
“In fact, I would go so far as to turn the tables and ask any of the high-profile Canadians—or any of the high-profile political operators who have been most violent and absolute in denying what Fadden has said—what the basis is for these denials and why they can be so certain,” said Harris.
With Fadden facing a grilling by the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Monday, Harris isn’t confident the matter will get treated with the seriousness it deserves.
“This seems to have become so politicized,” he said, adding he was astounded that politicians, with no evidence or specialized knowledge, could reject Fadden’s warning out of hand.
“Many qualified people before Mr. Fadden have pointed to precisely the tendencies of which he has warned.”
A variety of politicians at the federal and provincial levels have been particularly vocal in their displeasure with Fadden’s comments, calling them everything from “baseless” to “irresponsible.”
The CSIS head made the remarks in a rare television interview broadcasted on the eve of Hu Jintao’s visit to Canada. Fadden suggested that some officials get entangled after free visits to their “homeland,” suggesting immigrant officials were more vulnerable to influence. He also said that officials were usually unaware they were being affected by their relationship with the foreign regime.
But while some members of parliament and at least one premier have been demanding that Fadden divulge details of suspected officials, Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former CSIS intelligence officer and head of the agency’s Asia desk, said that is unlikely to happen.
“He will never give that information. … The committee going and asking for it will be totally inappropriate. This is national security.”
Juneau-Katsuya said details of the information CSIS has collected, whom it suspects, and details of its investigations are precisely the kinds of intelligence foreign spy agencies try to get their hands on.
