Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet has received the necessary security clearance to review classified national security files, his party has told Radio-Canada.
That makes Conservative Pierre Poilievre the only party leader in the House of Commons who doesn’t have the proper clearance to review top-secret documents, including intelligence the prime minister said he’s seen indicating Conservative parliamentarians are involved in or vulnerable to foreign interference.
Blanchet began the process in June, not long after the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released a heavily redacted document alleging, based on intelligence reports, that some parliamentarians have helped foreign states interfere in Canadian politics.
Top-secret clearance allows Blanchet to read the unredacted version of that report and sit in on future briefings.
“All I want is to make sure before the election that there is no member of Parliament in my caucus which would have been involved in any way with a foreign power,” he said back in June.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh received their top-secret security clearances last year.
Poilievre has argued against getting that clearance, saying he would be bound by secrecy laws and couldn’t speak openly or challenge the government.
His refusal has triggered a fiery debate in Canadian politics after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified under oath last week that he’s seen intelligence about Conservative parliamentarians and party members who are engaged in or vulnerable to foreign interference.
“I have the names of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and/or candidates in the Conservative Party of Canada who are engaged, or at high risk of, or for whom there is clear intelligence around foreign interference,” he told the inquiry investigating foreign election meddling.
Trudeau suggests Poilievre might have something to hide
During question period Wednesday, Trudeau suggested his main political rival was hiding something.
“Canadians should be alarmed by the Conservative leader choosing to ignore risks to his own party and to our country,” Trudeau said. “If he has nothing to hide, what is he afraid of? Why will he not get his security clearances?”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called the Conservative leader’s decision disturbing.
“It is ludicrous to me that someone who claims to want to be the prime minister of this country doesn’t want to know of ongoing and serious threats that impact Canadians,” he said during a news conference last week.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May encouraged Poilievre to go through the process, which includes intense interviews and rigorous background checks, saying that “the only way for Canadians to know that the Official Opposition has not been compromised through foreign interference is for its leader to seek and obtain top secret security clearance.”
After Trudeau’s testimony, Poilievre accused the prime minister of lying and grandstanding.
In a statement, the Conservative leader suggested there are other ways for the government to share intelligence with him that don’t require him to get a security clearance.
The CSIS Act allows the government to offer “information to any Canadian about specific risks of foreign interference without forcing them into sworn secrecy or controlling what they say,” Poilievre wrote.
Last spring, the House of Commons pushed through, with broad support, the government’s legislation to counter foreign interference, formally known as Bill C-70.
The law now allows CSIS to disclose sensitive information beyond the federal government.
“These new authorities enable CSIS to share information more frequently, aiming to strengthen society’s overall resilience against threats,” said CSIS spokesperson John Townsend.
But CSIS said there are limits.
“Importantly, these changes include strict limits on disclosing personal information about Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or any individuals in Canada, as well as the names of Canadian entities or corporations, without additional authorizations,” said Townsend.
“CSIS welcomes any opportunity to brief elected officials about the threat landscape at any classification that is appropriate.”
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