The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warrant application, which remained in then-Public Safety Minister Bill Blair’s office for 54 days, said there was a risk that communications could be intercepted if they communicated with the foreign meddlers who were the subject of the warrant. It contained a list of people who have. The investigation was communicated on Tuesday.
Rob Stewart, former deputy public safety minister, gave evidence before the inquiry and was repeatedly asked about the circumstances that led to the long delay in Prime Minister Tony Blair’s approval of the warrant.
“Mr. Stewart testified that he had doubts and that it took some time for the Minister and his staff to be satisfied with this particular warrant,” according to the witness statement.
“Mr. Stewart surmised that he was probably asked about the specific process involved in executing the warrant.”
Gib van Ert, a lawyer for Conservative MP Michael Chong, said it may have taken “some time” because the CSIS warrant list includes the names of individuals whose communications may have been intercepted. asked Stewart. Mr Stewart said this was a general concern for the minister’s office, but that he could not discuss the details of the warrant.
The subject of the warrant was not disclosed, but previous reports identified former Ontario MP Michael Chan. If so, the list of people CSIS thought might have contact with Chan could include people active in federal or local politics.
At the beginning of the investigation, CSIS officials testified that it took Prime Minister Blair several weeks (much longer than usual) for the warrant application to be signed after it was sent to then-Chief of Staff Zita Astravas. Prime Minister Blair has testified that he signed the application the day he first saw it.
Mr. Stewart said in his witness statement that Mr. Blair always read applications thoroughly and always wanted to speak with the CSIS director before signing them.
Mr. Astravas is expected to testify that the minister’s office was no longer provided with binders of information materials once the pandemic began, but Mr. Stewart and Dominique Rochon, a former senior assistant secretary, told the inquiry that public security continued to provide hard copies. He said he has created a binder and continues to send it to the minister’s office. office.
They told the inquiry that if Prime Minister Blair was in Toronto and something had to be done urgently, he could print it out at the CSIS office in Toronto and a CSIS officer would bring it to the minister to read and sign. He said he could do that.
Mr. Astravas, who was recently added to the witness list, is scheduled to testify in person on Wednesday before a panel of senior Privy Council officials, including former national security adviser Jody Thomas.
The foreign interference investigation, headed by Judge Marie-Josée Hogue, was established in response to media reports accusing China of interfering in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
In his first report, released in May, Hogue concluded that while there may have been foreign interference in a small number of ridings, it did not affect the overall election outcome.
