(Ottawa) A former deputy minister of public safety in Ottawa argued Tuesday that it did not seem exceptional in 2021 that the minister took several weeks before approving a spying warrant from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
Rob Stewart, however, admitted before the public inquiry into foreign interference that with hindsight, the general follow-up of requests for spy warrants presented by CSIS could have been better.
Mr. Stewart, who served as deputy minister of Public Safety from late 2019 until October 2022, explained that things often took time, especially during the disrupted period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The commission of inquiry learned that it took up to 54 days for a request for a CSIS spy warrant to be approved by Bill Blair, then Minister of Public Safety.
The average processing time for such requests is four to ten days.
Mr Blair has previously maintained that he signed the warrant shortly after the request was brought to his attention.