At Wednesday’s sitting of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference (PIFI), Zita Astravas, the former chief of staff to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair denied allegations that she stalled the approval of a crucial CSIS warrant in 2021 to protect a powerful Liberal insider. The warrant, allegedly targeting Liberal powerbroker Michael Chan, took a staggering 54 days to make its way from Astravas’ desk to Blair’s signature.
Chan is a former Liberal MPP who served as a Cabinet Minister in the governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne, who worked closely with Astravas, a fact pointed out by the lawyer for the Conservative Party.
Michael Chan presently serves as the Deputy Mayor of Markham.
Lawyers for Conservative MP Michael Chong and NDP MP Jenny Kwan weren’t buying Astravas’ denials.
They grilled the longtime Liberal aide on why it took nearly two months for the warrant authorization to be signed. Despite Astravas’ repeated claims that the delay wasn’t politically motivated, she offered no clear explanation for the hold-up, other than pointing fingers at CSIS Director David Vigneault and National Security Advisor David Stewart.
Chong’s lawyer, Gib Van Ert, accused Astravas of dragging her feet because the warrant might have uncovered dirt on her own party:
“I put it to you, Madam, that the reason for the delay was simply this. Looking at the warrant… you saw in it that it was deeply concerned with the operations of your party and your government. And having seen how deeply involved this warrant would bring CSIS with the affairs of your party and your government, you didn’t want it to go ahead.”
Meanwhile, Kwan’s lawyer highlighted that it was Astravas’ job to notify Blair about the pending warrant, yet she conveniently shifted the blame to others instead.
Blair, set to testify Friday, claimed he wasn’t even informed of the warrant’s existence until the day he signed it. But Astravas’ testimony suggested otherwise, hinting that Blair was “aware of a warrant” in his office without specifying which one or who it targeted.
With CSIS officials expressing frustration over the unprecedented delay—while Blair quickly signed two other warrants in mere days—the 54-day stall reeks of political maneuvering.