While Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue hopes to maximize the amount of information that can be disclosed during the public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada, several senior officials maintain that the disclosure of information should be restricted.
At the end of the fourth day of preliminary hearings in Ottawa, the current head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), David Vigneault, insisted on “the significant limits” of the disclosure of confidential information linked to interference foreign.
Approximately 80% of the documents received so far by Commissioner Hogue’s team are classified. Of these, 80% have the highest protection ratings, meaning they are considered “top secret” or higher.
In his testimony before the commission, Mr. Vigneault explained that CSIS was limited by law in its ability to disclose classified information. For example, sections 18 and 19 of the CSIS Act prohibit the release of classified information except in certain well-defined circumstances.
“The mandate of CSIS is to provide information and intelligence to the Canadian government and to take measures to reduce the threat,” he said. There are therefore significant limits to being able to share information beyond the federal government. There are possibilities to do this, but they are quite limited. »
Mr. Vigneault also noted that most employees of CSIS and the Communications Security Establishment are bound to secrecy in perpetuity.
According to him, one option being considered for the disclosure of certain information is the production of a summary intended for the public.
On Wednesday, former senior CSIS officials also stressed the importance of keeping documents secret in order to protect the lives of sources. However, there are still “ways to be more transparent” regarding classified information and there is “space to push” for more disclosures, according to them.
The first week of preliminary hearings is expected to determine how to make information about foreign interference public, even if much of it comes from classified documents and sources.
The commission’s week of work must conclude on Friday with testimony from the Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc.
Discussions on national security and information privacy are expected to set the stage for the upcoming public hearings, which are expected to take place at the end of March.
Mme Hogue must submit a first report no later than May 3. The final report is expected by December 2024.
With The Canadian Press