Why is any one surprised? 

The NDP is a barely reformed post-Stalinist party with roots in the Comintern. Why is anyone surprised that they would reconnect with old contacts within the revived KGB under Putin? 

The NDP acted as the unofficial arm of the Soviet Union in Canada for more than 70 years until the fall of the Soviet Union, siding with Moscow over Beijing during the Russo-Sino split. They had languished since 1991, refusing to switch allegiance to Beijing and now their gamble has paid off  with Putin's Russia on the march once more.