Some find humour in it and some find none, but claims by CSIS Director Richard Fadden that elected officials in Canada are under the influence of foreign powers are not unreasonable.
Think about it. At the least, all it could take is an unknowing politician caught in a compromising situation on a trip overseas. A few drinks in a hotel bar, a flirtatious young lady, some embarrassing photos, and all of a sudden a cabinet minister is an intelligence asset to a foreign government or corporation. Money, ideology, ego, and compromising situations are powerful motivators.
Alberta MLAs and cabinet ministers regularly travel on worldwide junkets and I would imagine that our province’s wealth of natural resources would make our elected officials targets to influence.
Of course, being “under the influence” does not necessarily translate into the cloak and dagger intrigue of a Cold War Manchurian Candidate. Perhaps all that keeps those compromising photos secret is an advance tip about a regulatory change or announcement, an equivalent to insider-trading on the stock market. Maybe it is more.
It is not a stretch to imagine this happening.
