Source:
CBC NewsThe government stood by Conservative MP Bob Dechert on Monday when questioned by NDP MPs about the parliamentary secretary's ties to a Chinese journalist that recently landed him in hot water.
Dechert admitted two weeks ago that he sent flirtatious emails to Shi Rong, the chief Toronto correspondent for Xinhua, the official Chinese government news agency that is directly responsible to the governing Communist party. The emails, from 2010, had been made public by Shi's husband because of a domestic dispute according to Dechert. The Toronto-area MP, who is married, said the relationship was only an innocent friendship.
Security analysts, however, say it's well-known that Xinhua correspondents act as intelligence agents for the Chinese government and some critics have said the relationship should have raised red flags and should now be fully investigated by the government.
Parliament resumed Monday for the fall session and question period provided the first opportunity for the NDP to bring up the matter in the House of Commons. Paul Dewar, the NDP's foreign affairs critic, said there are "unanswered questions" about Dechert's judgment and potential security concerns.
Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/09/19/pol-dechert-question-period.html
Sep 19, 2011 3:48 PM ET
Canada-U.S. border security 'unacceptably ineffective': report
Two prominent American senators say a U.S. government watchdog's report should "sound a loud alarm" over security gaps along the U.S.-Canada border.
It comes amid recent reports of discussion between Canada and U.S. that would see their security bureaucracies more interlinked.
"Why? Because there are more Islamist extremist groups in Canada than Mexico," Lieberman told reporters.
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