Poilievre rejects terms of CSIS foreign interference briefing
Spy agency said in December it would give Conservative leader briefing without him needing security clearance
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is rejecting the terms of a briefing from Canada's spy agency regarding foreign interference because it won't enable him to act on the information, his office says.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said in December that it was looking to share "some information to the leader of the Official Opposition through a threat reduction measure."
But a spokesperson for Poilievre said Tuesday that the Conservative leader wouldn't be able to act upon the information he received from the CSIS briefing.
"[Poilievre] would be legally prevented from speaking with anyone other than legal counsel about the briefing and would be able to take action only as expressly authorized by the government, rendering him unable to effectively use any relevant information he received," spokesperson Sebastian Skamski said in a statement to CBC News.
Skamski said not allowing Poilievre to act goes against the point of a threat reduction measure in the first place.
Other party leaders have been calling on Poilievre to obtain a security clearance so he can review classified documents regarding foreign interference. But the Conservative leader has rejected those calls, arguing that he wouldn't be able to freely speak or criticize the government based on the top-secret information. Poilievre has said his chief of staff, Ian Todd, has received classified briefings.
In October, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the public inquiry studying foreign interference that he had "the names of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and/or candidates in the Conservative Party of Canada who are engaged, or at high risk of, or for whom there is clear intelligence around foreign interference."
Poilievre pushed back and said the prime minister should name the individuals he alluded to during his testimony.
Later in October, Trudeau said he asked intelligence services to find a way to brief Poilievre about foreign interference allegations involving his party — and possibly to share "some names" with the Conservative leader.
Skamski said the CSIS briefing would only touch on foreign interference "directed at" Conservative politicians and wouldn't address the issues Trudeau raised.
"The government advised that the intended briefing did not implicate the suitability of any current parliamentarian to remain in caucus, nor did the intended briefing touch on any individual nominated as a candidate for the party or seeking to be nominated," he said.
CBC News has asked the Prime Minister's Office for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
When reached for a response, CSIS didn't comment on the terms of the briefing, or Poilievre's concerns.
"This briefing was designed to enhance security and address risks associated with particular threats, ensuring that the classified information provided is limited to what CSIS has assessed as necessary," the agency said in an emailed statement.
Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, the head of the foreign interference inquiry, released her final report on Tuesday.
The report said while the commission noticed some concerning behaviour, it found no evidence that "traitors" in Parliament are plotting with hostile states against Canada's interests.
Hogue wrote that although she has seen a few cases where a foreign state has attempted to curry favour with parliamentarians, "the phenomenon remains marginal and largely ineffective."
Among her list of recommendations to combat foreign interference, Hogue says in her report that "leaders of all political parties represented in the House of Commons should be encouraged and given the opportunity to obtain top-secret security clearances as soon as possible after they become leaders."
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With files from Raffy Boudjikanian and Kate McKenna