Bill Blair caught misleading foreign interference inquiry
Blair previously faced scrutiny in June 2023 for denying any knowledge of a CSIS memo warning about Chinese agents targeting MPs Michael Chong and Jenny Kwan.
Defence Minister Bill Blair, under sworn testimony, misled the inquiry tasked with rooting out foreign meddling in Canada's electoral process, according to newly revealed documents. This marks the second time Blair’s account of mishandling security matters has been contradicted by official records.
Conservative MP Michael Chong’s counsel, Gib van Ert, emphasized the gravity of the situation: "This is evidence from a minister of the Crown under oath. And not just any minister—Blair is a former police officer who has given sworn testimony hundreds of times.”
Bill Blair gets caught in a lie. He left a national security warrant sit on his desk unsigned for 59 days. He said he signed it within hours.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 30, 2024
Then a lawyer for the AG says that already publicly available on the record testimony about former Liberal MLA Michael Chan should not… pic.twitter.com/eDNtvvU5rp
Blair, then serving as Public Safety Minister, approved a May 11, 2021 warrant application by CSIS to monitor Liberal Party contacts with the Chinese Consulate in Toronto. Blair swore that he signed the warrant within hours of receiving it. However, documents disclosed by the Commission on Foreign Interference show it took “at least six weeks” for Blair to sign off.
The discrepancy prompted Blair’s recall for further testimony on October 11. In a March 6 interview, Blair stated that reviewing such warrants typically took him “2.5 to three hours,” contradicting the six-week delay revealed in the CSIS report. Blair repeated his claim last April, stating, “There was no delay of several months.”
Bill Blair denies reporting based on CSIS leaks that he delayed signing off on a warrant to surveil Liberal power broker Michael Chan. https://t.co/IgVhBlm93P pic.twitter.com/QoCVLavgS3
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 10, 2024
Blair also previously faced scrutiny in June 2023 for denying any knowledge of a CSIS memo warning about Chinese agents targeting MPs Michael Chong and Jenny Kwan. Records later showed CSIS had sent the memo to Blair’s office. Blair blamed the intelligence agency, claiming it sent the memo to the wrong office.
"CSIS considers that it met its duties" in decimating evidence of foreign targeting to the relevant ministers, PCO, and authorities. Those authorities kept that information secret because the secrecy helped the Liberals. pic.twitter.com/ojlqjNyrUP
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 30, 2024
Friday's hearing heard CSIS officials deny dropping the ball. Internal documents substantiated CSIS briefing the Privy Council, Ministers and relevant authorities about foreign targeting of MPs.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
Featured Stories
