Opposition MPs pressed Defence Minister Bill Blair on Thursday to explain why his office took 54 days to approve a warrant related to surveillance of Liberal Party contacts with Toronto’s Chinese Consulate. "The truth will be revealed," said Conservative MP James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake, Man.), during a heated session of the Commons defence committee.Blacklock's Reporter said Bezan questioned Blair's handling of the warrant application from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which sought to monitor Liberal Party organizers due to concerns about foreign interference. "In your role as Minister of National Defence, there are orders dealing with national security that require your sign off," said Bezan. "Your former chief of staff withheld documents from you for 54 days. How does that not violate and contravene our national security?"Blair responded by denying any wrongdoing. "The premise of your question is false," he told Bezan. Despite evidence presented at the Commission on Foreign Interference, which indicated that Blair’s office delayed the warrant ahead of the 2021 election, Blair maintained that he signed the warrant within hours of receiving it on May 11, 2021.“The testimony does speak for itself,” Bezan insisted, referencing Commission evidence showing that the warrant was left in Blair’s office for nearly two months before it was approved. "It does show a warrant sat around your office on your desk and under the care of your former chief of staff."Blair vehemently denied these claims, stating, "You are making stuff up. It isn’t true." He reaffirmed that he would testify again at the Commission today, saying, "I am very pleased to be able to go Friday and give that sworn testimony."While Blair contended that he signed the warrant the same day he received it, reports from CSIS showed it took "at least six weeks" for Blair’s office to approve the request. His former chief of staff confirmed that the warrant was signed 54 days after it was initially submitted.In April testimony at the China inquiry, Blair had categorically denied any delays. "There was no delay of several months," he said, explaining that once the document was presented to him on May 11, he signed it "about three hours later."When asked by Conservative Party counsel Nando de Luca if warrants were often time-sensitive, Blair agreed, stating, "Any undue delay can be problematic."Sen. Denise Batters (Sask.) added fuel to the controversy during Senate Question Period, citing testimony that Blair “liked to work from home and did not read classified material,” preferring to have staff brief him. “Minister Blair is one of the few Canadians with access to extremely sensitive intelligence on foreign interference, and he couldn’t be bothered to read it,” said Batters. “Blair should have been fired immediately. Instead, Prime Minister Trudeau promoted him."Blair continues to face mounting pressure to clarify the circumstances surrounding the delay and his role in overseeing national security measures amidst concerns of foreign interference.
