CSIS warrant stalled in Bill Blair's office amid intelligence binder confusion
Despite Blair’s insistence that he signed the warrant as soon as he laid eyes on it, the 54-day delay suggests otherwise.
The warrant, which was designed to target individuals linked to possible foreign interference by China, sat in then-Public Safety Minister Bill Blair’s office for an astonishing 54 days before finally being approved.
Rob Stewart, former Deputy Minister of Public Safety, testified that the warrant contained a list of people whose communications might be intercepted if they spoke with the target of the investigation, suspected to be Ontario Liberal MPP Michael Chan. This should have triggered immediate action, however, the warrant languished unsigned for six weeks.
Testimony also indicated a discrepancy in how sensitive intelligence was delivered to the minister during the pandemic.
Despite claims by Zita Astravas, Blair's then-chief of staff, that no more intelligence binders were sent to the minister’s office once COVID-19 hit, Stewart and former senior assistant deputy minister Dominic Rochon told a different story. They confirmed that Public Safety continued to produce and send hard copy binders to Blair’s office as usual, even going so far as to have documents printed locally and rushed to Blair when he was in Toronto.
If the warrant’s target was, as some reports suggest, Michael Chan then those who might have been under surveillance included high-profile figures in both federal and provincial politics.
Despite Blair’s insistence that he signed the warrant as soon as he laid eyes on it, the 54-day delay suggests otherwise. Stewart’s testimony indicates that Blair and his team were hesitant to move forward, possibly due to the sensitive names linked to the investigation.
The Prime Minister and Justice Hogue have declined to name 11 parliamentarians implicated in benefiting from foreign interference, both ongoing and during the last two elections.
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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.