Canadians raised a collective eyebrow when the top spy said two weeks ago that foreign governments are influencing some politicians - and they want to know who he was talking about, a new poll suggests.
Two thirds of the 1,009 randomly selected members of Angus Reid Public Opinion online forum who were surveyed this week said they believe the names of the politicians being investigated by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service should be made public.
CSIS director Richard Fadden said in a speech to police chiefs and security experts in March that two unnamed provincial cabinet ministers and a number of municipal politicians from British Columbia are being influenced by foreign governments.
Mr. Fadden then repeated that assertion in a televised interview that aired in June. He was dragged before the Commons public security committee this week by angry MPs who accused him of smearing all politicians with his allegations against unnamed individuals.
But Mr. Fadden resolutely refused to identify the politicians in question saying his agency is still conducting its investigation and the final report, including the names, will be presented to the federal government in about four weeks time.
When asked: "Do you think the names of the ministers and politicians Fadden has referred to should be revealed to the public," 67 per cent of the poll respondents said yes.
And 73 per cent said that it is likely that some politicians in Canada are under the influence of the Chinese government. Just 14 per cent discounted the possibility.
Several people have called for Mr. Fadden's resignation in the days since the television report was broadcast. And Bloc MP Maria Mourani asked fellow members of the public safety committee to move that he be fired - a requests that was ruled out of order.
But the Canadians surveyed by Angus Reid do not believe Mr. Fadden should lose his job. While 9 per cent said Mr. Fadden's loose lips were cause for his firing, 59 per cent said there is no need for him to be replaced as top spy.
A poll of this size is expected to accurately reflect the opinions of Canadians as a whole within 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20.