OTTAWA — It is an irresponsible, "partisan exaggeration" to claim there are traitors or treasonous people sitting in Parliament based on the findings a recent spy watchdog report, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has told a federal inquiry.
"Those are criminal phrases that are not borne out by the evidence and by the work of the police or the security agencies," LeBlanc said during a public hearing of the inquiry into foreign interference.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians said in June that some parliamentarians were "semi-witting or witting" participants in the efforts of foreign states to meddle in Canadian politics.
The blunt but vague assertion by NSICOP, an intelligence watchdog made up of MPs and senators who are sworn to secrecy, triggered ongoing concerns that people knowingly involved in interference might still be active in politics.
Nathalie Drouin, who advises the prime minister on intelligence matters, recently told the inquiry the watchdog's conclusion that some MPs might have acted in a treasonous manner makes her very uncomfortable, because that's not what she sees.
Drouin said after reviewing the relevant intelligence she found no MPs had engaged in espionage, sabotage or other activities that put Canada's security at risk.
LeBlanc said Tuesday that conclusion is consistent with the intelligence he has seen as minister.
NSICOP's June report also expressed concern about how easily foreign actors can take advantage of loopholes and vulnerabilities to support preferred election candidates in party nominations.
Elections Canada has suggested possible changes to safeguard nominations, including barring non-citizens from helping choose candidates, requiring parties to publish contest rules and explicitly outlawing behaviour such as voting more than once.
LeBlanc said Tuesday the government is looking "urgently" and hopefully in a "constructive way" at such suggestions.
But he noted the leader of each party has the ultimate say as to whether a nominated candidate may stand in an election. "That is an accountability in the hands of the leader of the party."
Katie Telford, chief of staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, testified Tuesday there's no simple answer to bolstering the integrity of political nomination contests.
She said regulation of candidate nomination processes is a "complex space" because parties have varying practices.
Telford suggested that ushering in uniform rules "would really upend how political parties operate."
She said parties do need to look at tightening up practices, but coming up with common standards would be very difficult and might not solve any problems.
Telford and LeBlanc each cited the importance of party leaders having the security clearance to receive sensitive information about possible issues with candidates.
The commission of inquiry's latest hearings are also examining the flow of sensitive information among officials.
Brian Clow, the prime minister's deputy chief of staff, testified Tuesday that Trudeau receives about 1,000 briefing notes a year — including complex ones involving huge decisions.
Under cross-examination, Clow dismissed a suggestion Trudeau should be able to easily read and digest an average of fewer than three briefing notes a day.
He called that a massive oversimplification, saying a there's a huge amount of information in a note on something like the federal plan for a foreign influence transparency registry.
Clow said a single briefing note might amount to a billion-dollar decision.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press