Former public safety minister didn't know about delayed spy warrant, he tells inquiry

Minister of National Defence Bill Blair speaks with reporters as he arrives for a meeting of the federal cabinet in Ottawa, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA -

Former public safety minister Bill Blair told a federal inquiry Friday he had no knowledge about delays in approving a spy service warrant in 2021 that may have included references to people in his own government.

A commission of inquiry into foreign interference has heard that it took 54 days for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warrant application to be approved by Blair.

The average turnaround time for such applications is four to 10 days.

Michelle Tessier, CSIS deputy director of operations during the period, told the inquiry in previous testimony there was frustration with the delay, though there was no concern about interference of any sort or pushback from the minister’s office.

In his testimony, Blair — who is now minister of national defence — said the existence of the warrant wasn't brought to his attention until he saw an entry in his calendar that he would need to be briefed on a confidential matter by CSIS.

"It was indicated on my calendar it was for the purposes of a warrant, but no information was provided in a non-secure setting about what that warrant was about," Blair told the commission in his testimony Friday.

He didn't know about the content of the warrant until he got that briefing, 54 days after the CSIS director and deputy public safety minister asked for his authorization. He signed it the same day. 

A past report in the Globe and Mail and a lawyer at the inquiry have suggested the subject of the warrant was Michael Chan, an influential Liberal and former Ontario minister. But federal officials have refused to confirm who CSIS hoped to surveil through the warrant, citing national security concerns. 

Blair said he was briefed on the matter several months before CSIS asked him to approve the warrant, but he had no idea at that time where the investigation was headed.

This week, Blair’s former chief of staff Zita Astravas faced questions about whether she tried to delay the warrant in order to protect connections in the Liberal government and party.

Blair's chief of staff was briefed about the situation 13 days after the initial request for the minister's approval was made, but Blair said no information about that briefing was passed on to him.

Blair said he never felt conflicted about approving the warrant; he simply didn't know it existed.

"I can’t approve something I didn’t know anything about," the minister told the inquiry. 

"No one suggested to me that there were any difficulties bringing those matters forward to me in a proper way."

Blair said he still doesn't know why it took 54 days for the warrant to come to his attention. 

Once he got the information, he said he didn't share any information with the prime minister, the prime minister's office, or anyone outside of the secure briefing. 

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major effect on the flow of information in Blair's office, he explained. He relied almost entirely on verbal briefings at that time because he wasn't able to receive documents securely at his home.

It's not clear if CSIS or the Public Safety Department knew Blair wasn't getting written briefings on confidential intelligence, as commission lawyers said both appear to have directed electronic and printed records to the minister that he says never reached him. 

"I had no knowledge that any of this info was being sent in my direction," Blair said when presented with examples.

The commission of inquiry's latest hearings are looking at the ability of federal agencies to identify and counter foreign interference. A final report is due by the end of the year.

Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge also testified Friday about the importance of a robust media industry when it comes to fighting disinformation in political campaigns. She said local media is especially important at combating disinformation about particular candidates in a race. 

Next week the inquiry is expected to hear from the current public safety minister, Dominic LeBlanc, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the top staff in his office. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.