Intelligence agency suspicious of two provincial cabinet ministers
At least two provincial cabinet ministers and a number of other government officials and employees are under the control of foreign countries as part of espionage schemes, Canada’s top security official said in an exclusive interview on CBS’s The National. CSIS director Richard Fadden would not name the provinces the cabinet ministers are from, but said foreign powers are infiltrating Canadian political circles and influencing public servants, raising concerns about economic espionage in Canada. Economic espionage, the trading, sharing or theft of federal secrets, can be considered a crime. A report that accompanied the interview said about five countries are casting their hands into Canadian politics, including China and some countries in the Middle East. Fadden said in the interview that these countries may target university students and influence them early on in their careers, keeping in touch with them and eventually providing money and covert guidance. He added the CSIS is closely watching these politicians.