Blair says top-secret memos meant for him never reached his desk

Former Public Safety Minister Bill Blair testified on Friday at the inquiry into foreign interference, stating that he never received several top-secret documents meant for him, including a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) note regarding China's attempts to target two Canadian MPs.

Blair also revealed that he was unaware of a warrant application related to foreign interference until he signed it — 54 days after CSIS first requested it. "I can't approve something I don't know anything about," Blair explained. "When it was brought to my attention, it was always dealt with very promptly." He noted that he had been briefed on the investigation leading to the warrant months earlier, so its arrival did not surprise him.

Although the warrant's target was not publicly named during the hearings, former Ontario MPP Michael Chan issued a statement identifying himself. Chan said CSIS obtained the warrant based on allegations that he had orchestrated the removal of former Liberal MP Geng Tan as a candidate in Don Valley North. He added that after 14 years of surveillance, CSIS found no evidence of wrongdoing.

The fact that the warrant involved a Canadian politician and listed third parties whose communications might be intercepted has fueled speculation that the process was delayed to protect members of the Liberal Party.

Blair's former chief of staff, Zita Astravas, testified earlier that she was briefed on the warrant 13 days after CSIS sent it to Public Safety. She also received a briefing on the third-party list, known as the Vanweenan list. However, she could not explain the delay between her briefing and Blair’s signing of the warrant.

During his testimony, Blair repeatedly declined to answer questions about whose names appeared on the list or whether it included parliamentarians, cabinet ministers, or acquaintances. He maintained that political considerations never influenced his handling of the warrant and that he had no conflicts of interest when authorizing warrants as Public Safety Minister.

Blair also stated that neither CSIS, his chief of staff, nor his deputy minister raised concerns about the delay in signing the warrant. He emphasized there was never any doubt that he would sign it.

Despite former Deputy Minister of Public Safety Rob Stewart testifying that Blair’s briefing binders were sent to his office during the pandemic, Blair said he never received those binders and received very few documents overall. He also disclosed that he only learned of foreign interference targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family through a news report — two years after CSIS had prepared a memo about defensive briefings for Chong and MP Kenny Chiu, a memo Blair insists he never saw.