ADAMS: Foreign Influence Isn't Fine Just Because “Our Side” Does It

Canada is a sovereign nation. At least, that is what we like to tell ourselves. We pretend that our elected representatives speak first and foremost for the Canadian people, guided by our Charter, our interests, and our values.

But increasingly, the lines are blurred. Too many politicians and media figures have one foot in Canada and the other planted firmly in the priorities of foreign governments. And every time it happens, we are told to calm down, that it is normal, that it is “just diplomacy.”

No. This isn't normal. And Canadians are right to be concerned.

Let's start with the obvious (and most recent) case. Chrystia Freeland is still a sitting Member of Parliament in Canada. She has not resigned her seat. Yet she has taken on a formal advisory role with the Ukrainian government. Say whatever you want about Ukraine or Russia, that is not the point. The point is constitutional ethics and democratic accountability.

A Member of Parliament is elected to represent Canadians. Not to serve as an adviser to a foreign state.

When a sitting MP like Freeland begins giving strategic advice to another government, she is not simply “supporting an ally.” She is putting herself in a position where Canadian decisions on sanctions, aid, military support, reconstruction, and foreign policy intersect directly with the work she is doing abroad. Even if she is perfectly ethical, even if she believes she is doing the right thing, the conflict of interest is real. And the perception of divided allegiance is unavoidable.

Trust in democratic institutions does not collapse only because of corruption. It collapses when citizens start asking a very simple question: “Who do you really work for?”

Where the hypocrisy becomes impossible to ignore.

In the hours since this announcement, the right-wing establishment media and much of the political right rushed to condemn Freeland. Fine. But where was that righteous outrage when groups of municipal councillors, former MPs, former party leaders, and media personalities traveled to Israel, received high-level government briefings, and walked away echoing the talking points they were just handed?

We are told that is different. That this is merely “fact-finding.” That it is all harmless.

No. The principle is the same.

When Canadian politicians and media figures sit in briefing rooms with foreign governments, are courted, flattered, given privileged access and talking points, it is not simply tourism. It is influence-building. That is what governments do, including ours. It is soft power. It is messaging. It works.

The problem in this country is that people only object to foreign influence when it comes from countries they already dislike.

If the foreign state is one their side supports, suddenly it is noble, strategic, even heroic. If the country is in their partisan camp, then anyone who questions influence is smeared as hysterical or disloyal.

That is intellectual dishonesty. And Canadians deserve better.

My position on the matter is not about whether you support Ukraine or Israel, this is not about left versus right. It is about whether Canadian institutions should be shaped by foreign governments, foreign lobby interests, and foreign narratives.

The answer should be obvious: No.

Our politicians already show too little loyalty to the people who elected them. Too many of them think of international applause before they think of the Canadians struggling to pay rent, heat their homes, or find a family doctor. They chase foreign conferences, foreign praise, foreign media attention while ignoring the farmers, truckers, small business owners and workers who actually keep this country standing.

Now the situation is worse. We are normalizing the idea that a Canadian MP can openly advise a foreign government while still sitting in our House of Commons. We are normalizing politicians whose careers are built almost entirely around advocacy for foreign causes instead of Canadian priorities. We are normalizing media figures who treat foreign governments like clients rather than subjects of scrutiny.

All of this should alarm anyone who believes in Canadian sovereignty.

A healthy democracy requires bright lines. A sitting MP should never take on the role of adviser to a foreign state. Former MPs, party leaders, and broadcasters have every right to travel and meet with whoever they wish; but Canadians also have every right to demand transparency, and to ask whom they truly represent when they speak.

Foreign governments will always try to shape Canadian debate. That is what powerful nations do. The real question is whether our leaders are strong enough to say: “No thank you, I work for Canadians.”

We need clear, simple rules:

• Sitting MPs should not advise foreign governments.
• Any foreign-funded travel or briefings should be fully disclosed.
• MPs who have engaged in unofficial foreign policy work should recuse themselves from related votes.
• Media figures should disclose when they are participating in government-sponsored trips or programs.

Those are not radical demands. Those are the minimum standards of a country that still believes in self-government.

We can be allies without becoming mouthpieces. We can stand with suffering people around the world without letting our Parliament or media become tools of anyone else’s agenda. And we can demand that our leaders remember who their employer really is: the Canadian people, and no one else.

Foreign influence is not acceptable when “our side” does it. It is not acceptable when “their side” does it. It is not acceptable, period.

Sovereignty means something, or it means nothing at all.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Provincial Times or Left Lane Media Group. Read our Content Policy here.