ottawa –
Former Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told a federal inquiry on Friday that he was not aware of any delays in approving a 2021 spying warrant that may have included references to his own government officials. said.
The Committee of Inquiry into Foreign Interference has heard that it took 54 days for the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency’s warrant application to be approved by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The average turnaround time for such applications is 4 to 10 days.
Michelle Tessier, deputy director of CSIS operations during the period, told the inquiry in her previous testimony that while there were complaints about delays, there were no concerns about any kind of interference or backlash from ministerial offices.
Mr Blair, now the defense secretary, said in his testimony that he was unaware of the warrant until he saw a note on his calendar saying he needed to be briefed on a classified matter by CSIS.
“While my calendar indicated that this was the purpose of the warrant, I was not provided with any information as to the nature of the warrant in an unsafe environment,” Blair told the committee in testimony Friday. Ta.
He did not learn about the contents of the warrant until he was briefed 54 days after the Director of CSIS and the Deputy Minister of Public Safety asked for permission. He signed the same day.
Previous reporting by the Globe and Mail and a lawyer involved in the investigation suggest the subject of the warrant is Michael Chan, an influential Liberal and former Ontario minister. But federal authorities have refused to confirm who CSIS wanted to surveil through the warrants, citing national security concerns.
Blair said he was briefed on the case several months before CSIS sought approval for the warrant, but at the time had no idea where the investigation was heading.
This week, Prime Minister Blair’s former chief of staff Zita Astravas faced questions about whether she had tried to delay issuing the warrant to protect her connections with the Liberal government.
Prime Minister Blair’s chief of staff was briefed on the situation 13 days after ministers were first asked for approval, but Blair said he was not given any information about the briefing.
Prime Minister Blair said he saw no contradiction in approving the warrant. He simply didn’t know it existed.
In response to the inquiry, the minister said: “We cannot approve something we know nothing about.”
“No one suggested to me that there would be any difficulty in raising these issues with me in an appropriate manner.”
Prime Minister Blair said he still did not know why it took 54 days for the warrant to arrive.
He said that once he had the information, he did not share it with the Prime Minister, the Office of the Prime Minister or anyone outside of security briefings.
He explained that the coronavirus pandemic had had a major impact on the flow of information within Prime Minister Blair’s office. At the time, he relied mostly on verbal explanations because he could not safely receive documents at home.
It is not clear whether CSIS or the Department of Public Safety knew that Prime Minister Blair was not given a written briefing on the classified information, and both committee lawyers sent him electronic and printed records. It appears that Prime Minister Blair has not been reached.
When presented with the example, Prime Minister Blair said: “I had no idea that this information was being sent in my direction.”
The commission’s latest hearings are examining federal agencies’ ability to identify and counter foreign interference. The final report is expected to be submitted by the end of the year.
Pascal St-Onge, Minister of Culture and Heritage, also testified on Friday about the importance of a robust media industry in combating disinformation in political campaigns. He said local media is especially important in combating disinformation about specific candidates in the election race.
Next week’s inquiry is scheduled to hear from current Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and senior officials in the prime minister’s office.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.