Ex-chief of staff to public safety minister denies stalling spy warrant approval

OTTAWA – A erstwhile main of unit to a Liberal nationalist information curate has denied suggestions she worked to stall support of a spy work warrant successful aboriginal 2021 due to the fact that it straight touched the operations of the Trudeau government.

Zita Astravas called the allegation “categorically false” during grounds precocious Wednesday astatine a national enquiry into overseas interference.

The enquiry has heard that it took 54 days for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warrant exertion to beryllium approved by Bill Blair, nationalist information curate astatine the time.

The mean turnaround clip for specified applications is 4 to 10 days.

Michelle Tessier, CSIS lawman manager of operations during the period, has told the enquiry determination was vexation with the delay.

A timeline tabled astatine the enquiry says Astravas attended a briefing connected the warrant exertion 13 days aft CSIS sent it to Public Safety.

Astravas told the committee successful a closed-door league during the summertime that the questions she asked astatine the briefing were emblematic of those she would airs concerning specified an application.

A recently disclosed summary of that grounds says she recalled a abstracted speech astir the accompanying Vanweenen database — a database of individuals who whitethorn beryllium successful interaction with the people of the warrant and truthful could beryllium affected.

Federal officials person cited nationalist information successful refusing to publically sermon who CSIS hoped to surveil done the warrant.

Gib van Ert, a lawyer for Conservative MP Michael Chong, suggested to Astravas connected Wednesday that aft she saw “how profoundly progressive this warrant would bring CSIS with the affairs of your enactment and your government, you didn’t privation it to spell ahead, and if it had to spell ahead, you wanted to dilatory locomotion it.”

Astravas replied that she couldn’t notation specifics of the warrant, “but I tin archer you that your assumptions are categorically false.”

Blair, present defence minister, is slated to attest astatine the committee of enquiry Friday.

Trending Now

He has already told the enquiry down closed doors helium archetypal became alert of the warrant exertion connected the day helium recalls signing it.

“He did not cognize that it had been received by his bureau earlier that date,” says a summary of Blair’s evidence. “He was not alert of the day his bureau received it and nary 1 showed him the earlier dates connected the documents.”

The summary says connected the day helium signed the warrant, helium became alert that determination had been immoderate treatment and questions raised by his bureau with the manager of CSIS and the lawman curate of nationalist safety. “However, helium was not alert of however agelong it had been with his office.”

Astravas testifed Wednesday that CSIS manager David Vigneault would emblem matters of precedence and “we would enactment with the manager and his team” successful bid to enactment an point connected the minister’s agenda.

During this play of time, determination were a fig of contacts involving the CSIS director, the curate and the lawman minister, she said.

“At nary constituent was (the warrant) raised arsenic a substance of urgency.”

The committee of inquiry’s latest hearings are looking astatine the quality of national agencies to place and antagonistic overseas interference. A last study is owed by the extremity of the year.