RCMP Spied on Tommy Douglas

Not that this news is surprising considering the rampant paranoia about communism that would have made any dedicated socialist a target but this, however, is shocking:

In the late 1970s, as the veteran politician neared retirement, the Mounties recommended keeping his file open based on the notion "there is much we do not know about Douglas."

It's kind of ironic that his grandson, Kiefer Sutherland, now plays a US spy on 24.

RCMP security and intelligence officers amassed files on 800,000 Canadians and actively monitored thousands of organizations, from church and women's groups to media outlets and universities.

Markings indicate Douglas's file is one of more than 650 secret dossiers the RCMP kept on Canadian politicians and bureaucrats as part of a project known as the "VIP program."

While many of these files were destroyed, some with historical significance have been retained by the Library and Archives.

Makes you wonder what was destroyed that we'll never know about...