Tag: bill blair

Minister Blair Blames CSIS for Not Briefing Him on Beijing Threats to MPs

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says Canada’s spy agency is responsible for not briefing him on Chinese regime threats to MPs in 2021. Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director David Vigneault, “determined this was not information that the minister needed to know, and so I was never notified of the existence of that intelligence, nor…


John Robson: Expect More CSIS Leaks Given Blair’s Inadequate Response to Latest Beijing Interference Allegations

Commentary The disintegration continues. The latest revelation about the Trudeau Liberals’ blindness to Chinese election meddling is that then-public safety and emergency preparedness minister Bill Blair took months to grant CSIS a warrant to monitor election activities by former Ontario cabinet minister infamous for his links to communist China. And they still have no idea…


Opposition MPs Call on Minister to Testify on Reported Delayed Wiretap Authorization on Michael Chan

Opposition MPs are calling on Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair to appear at committee at the “earliest possible opportunity” over a new report alleging he took months to approve surveillance measures against an important Liberal Party figure in Toronto. “Canadians need to know why it took so long for the Minister to sign off on…


Disaster Risk Profile Warns Canada Ill-Prepared for a Major Earthquake

The first draft of a new national disaster risk assessment report warns that a major earthquake in British Columbia or parts of Ontario and Quebec could swiftly become the most costly natural disaster Canada has seen. It says there are major gaps in Canada’s earthquake response plans, including limited information on the risks and how…


Federal Disaster Aid Program to Become Conditional on Having Climate Change Adaptation Plans

The federal disaster aid program will soon be made conditional, requiring future applications to show adaptation to climate change in order to be eligible, said Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, as the government launches a review of the program. Blair was in British Columbia this week to provide the second instalment of disaster aid for the…


Federal Disaster Aid Program for 2021 BC Floods Now Tops $1 Billion

The mayor of Abbotsford says the British Columbia farming community has come a long way since devastating flooding in 2021—but still has far to go with long-term recovery and repairing peace of mind for residents. “People are very anxious,” Ross Siemens said Thursday. “Every time there’s a storm here you get a little nervous.” Siemens…


Minister Blair Says He Was Unaware His Chief of Staff Asked RCMP About NS Shooting Investigation Details

Former Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says he was unaware that his chief of staff asked RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki if details about the guns used in the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shootings would be made public. Blair, who is now the minister of emergency preparedness, appeared before the House of Commons public safety committee…


Minister Blair Says He Is Unaware if His Chief of Staff Asked RCMP About NS Shooting Investigation Details

Federal cabinet minister Bill Blair says he is unaware if his chief of staff asked RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki whether details about the guns used in the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shootings would be made public. Blair, who is now the minister of emergency preparedness, appeared before the House of Commons public safety committee on…


Minister Blair Says He Is Unaware if His Chief of Staff Asked RCMP About NS Tragedy Gun Details

Federal cabinet minister Bill Blair says he is unaware if his chief of staff asked RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki whether details about the guns used in the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shootings would be made public. Blair, who is now the minister of emergency preparedness, appeared before the House of Commons public safety committee on…


House Committee Votes to Re-Question RCMP Commissioner, Former Minister Over Political Interference Allegations

The House of Commons public safety committee voted 6–5 Monday to re-question both RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki and former Public Safety Minister Bill Blair over allegations of political interference in the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting investigation. The allegations resurfaced last week after the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) made public a phone-call recording of Lucki…