Last night at a Chinese Cultural Centre in Toronto, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff called for the resignation of the Canada's spy chief, Richard Fadden. The director of CSIS made controversial statements during a speech at the Royal Military Institute, and again during a CBC interview with Peter Mansbridge.
Fadden revealed that foreign influence over Canadian politicians was a major issue, and that CSIS was currently investigating several provincial cabinet members over the issue. While not expressly saying it, Fadden implied that agents of the Chinese government were among the culprits attempting to influence Canadian policymakers. Fadden also accused a French national, who was recently held hostage in Mali, of being a spy for the French government.
The previous Liberal stance was that while his statements were inappropriate, they were no cause for dismissal. Well that opinion changed last night when Ignatieff called for Fadden's resignation over the statements. Some experts are accusing Ignatieff of attempting to buy votes from Chinese Canadians.
In my opinion, while the timing and location of Ignatieff's statement is extremely convenient, there is nothing wrong the Liberal stance. They are not the only party that is calling for Fadden's resignation, and they are not the only party to use strategic locations to make announcements. Just a few days ago the Conservative Government announced the $2.6 billion contract to build 2-3 new navy supply ships in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is of course widely known that Halifax is a military city.
When opportunity presents itself, take advantage of it. All is fair in love and war, and campaigns are, of course, war.
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