(Ottawa) “Inappropriately” disclosing secret documents could harm Canada’s relations with its allies and the government’s ability to protect its population from threats such as foreign interference, insists the Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc .
He stressed several times, Friday, before the commission of inquiry into foreign interference, that a significant part of the intelligence collected in the country comes from other states, in particular those members of the Five Eyes alliance.
“Often, this information comes with restrictions,” said the minister, adding that the same goes for the documents that Canada communicates to its allies.
The day before, the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), David Vigneault, noted the same thing, mentioning that it is not only up to the Canadian authorities to decide whether information can then be declassified.
Mr. LeBlanc said Friday that it is essential to preserve the relationship between Canada and its intelligence allies. “I think it is important for Canadians to understand that if we do not respect or if we disclose certain information inappropriately, it could have consequences on our ability, in the future, to protect Canadians,” he said.
That said, he wanted to express that the government wishes to help the commission maximize the quantity of information that can be made public thanks to its work.
Around 80% of the documents received so far by Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue’s team are classified. Of these, 80% have the highest protection ratings, meaning they are considered “top secret” or higher.
The commissioner and her entourage have access to the unredacted version of the documents, but she has insisted since her appointment on her desire to make as much information public as possible.
Already 13 documents, several of which are heavily redacted, were filed Thursday as part of the week of public hearings.
In a letter accompanying these documents, the government argued that “this level of scrutiny is not sustainable if replicated over the long term.”
“It is clear that large-scale redaction of documents will not be an effective solution given the time constraints,” it was argued.
According to the federal government, other approaches must be considered, such as “redaction on a limited number of documents which is sustainable and proportional”. The production of “summaries of a limited quantity of documents or subjects” is also mentioned as an avenue.