A poll by Nanos reveals that most Canadians believe MPs guilty of foreign interference should be imprisoned.
The latest Nanos poll shows 65% of respondents stating that MPs guilty of foreign interference should face a criminal charge and jail time.
Further, the Nanos poll indicates that 87% of Canadians deem it “not appropriate” or “somewhat not appropriate” for lawmakers to advocate on behalf of a foreign power, while 7% consider it “appropriate” or “somewhat appropriate.”
The findings come in the wake of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) report, which stated that “witting” Canadian politicians colluded with foreign agents to undermine Canada’s democracy, but the report didn’t name anyone.
Institutional distrust
Unfortunately, most Canadians have little confidence that anything will come of the alleged treason.
An Angus Reid poll released last month indicated that only 5% of Canadians have a lot of confidence in parliament’s ability to address foreign interference, compared to 38% who have a little confidence and 47% who have no confidence (10% are not sure).
The Liberal Party’s capability in tackling foreign interference is particularly doubted, with 58% of Canadians expressing no confidence, compared to 45% who feel the same about the Conservative Party.
When it comes to law enforcement, 50% of Canadians have some confidence in CSIS, 19% have a lot, and 20% have none. Regarding the RCMP, 12% have high confidence, 45% have some, and 31% have none.
The poll also reflects a public demand for transparency, with many Canadians insisting that all federal leaders should have security clearance to access the NSICOP report. This issue has been highlighted by Pierre Poilievre’s refusal to read the report, citing a Liberal gag order.
RCMP charge in ArriveCan debacle
On Tuesday, the RCMP finally laid their first change against an alleged corrupt bureaucrat, albeit just a “consultant.”
The RCMP stated they charged “a federal government consultant,” 63-year-old Clara Elaine Visser, with Fraud over $5000 related to the ArriveScan App debacle.
In February, Canada’s Auditor General, Karen Hogan, sharply criticized the federal government’s handling of the ArriveCAN app development, accusing them of a “glaring disregard” for essential management and contracting practices. The feds ended up spending over $50 million for the app, while tech experts said it could’ve been done for just one million dollars.
