In a startling revelation, a significant gap of 54 days has emerged concerning a critical warrant application within the office of then-Public Safety Minister Bill Blair during the spring of 2021. This delay raises pressing questions about how sensitive intelligence was handled at the highest levels of government.

As Minister of Public Safety, Blair was responsible for overseeing key agencies, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). However, an important intelligence note from CSIS that should have reached Blair concerning an influential Ontario Liberal figure, Michael Chan—who had served in provincial cabinet roles for over a decade—never made it into his hands in a timely manner.

The scandal came to light during a public inquiry focused on foreign interference, prompting scrutiny into the actions (or inactions) of Blair’s office. The inquiry is now set to hear from Zita Astravas, Blair’s former chief of staff, who is expected to shed light on the duration of this unexplained delay.

Why was this surveillance warrant—a request meant to monitor Chan—kept from Blair for nearly eight weeks? Speculation suggests a potential political vetting process within the Liberal government may have hindered its timely review, leading to frustration among CSIS agents who awaited the necessary approval to proceed with their surveillance operations.

During a prior inquiry session, Blair asserted that he approved the warrant on the day it reached him—May 11, 2021. However, a timeline provided by officials indicates that the application was already sitting in his office since mid-March, resulting in growing concerns that political staff might have deliberately withheld it from the minister.

On the day of the revelations, Rob Stewart, who served as deputy minister at Public Safety, confirmed that it was indeed Astravas who received the warrant application and was responsible for facilitating its review by Blair. This information was compounded by testimony from Michelle Tessier, former deputy director of CSIS, who noted she had pre-warned Astravas about the incoming application.

While potential legal concerns regarding the warrant could have justified the delay, neither CSIS nor the minister has provided satisfactory answers. Tessier acknowledged the confusion surrounding the protracted approval process, indicating that it wasn’t due to extensive inquiries on details surrounding the request. Meanwhile, other indicators reveal that national security documents—such as a memo detailing Chinese officials allegedly targeting Conservative MPs, Michael Chong and Kenny Chiu—similarly failed to reach Blair’s desk.

Notably, during this period, Canada was navigating through a critical phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, with ongoing vaccine rollouts and a looming early election that would ultimately take place in August. Yet the urgency of national security matters could not afford to be sidetracked by political maneuvers.

The inquiry aims to ensure that such gaps in communication and oversight do not recur, especially when national security is at stake. As the hearings unfold, many are eager for answers that could either absolve Blair of responsibility or uncover an alarming mismanagement of national security protocols.

Will the truth about this baffling delay finally be revealed? Stay tuned as we follow this developing story.