Blanchet has not submitted foreign interference security clearance

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told Global News Thursday that he has not submitted the necessary paperwork to read the full version of a top-secret report into parliamentarians engaging in suspected foreign interference operations.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released a report last month that contained stunning allegations that sitting parliamentarians “wittingly” or “semi-wittingly” collaborated with foreign governments.

A heavily redacted version of the 92-page document was made public, but in order to read the full contents, politicians must undergo a security clearance process.

A month after the report’s release, Blanchet said he’s “almost” finished the security clearance paperwork.

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“I intend to complete that pretty soon,” he said. “It’s not an issue before the end of the summer, so I’m still in it.”

Blanchet added that he thinks the process is cumbersome.

“I don’t like it very much,” he said. “It’s a bit long to go through.”

The security clearance form is six pages.

Blanchet previously said it’s important to read the full report.

“All I want is to make sure before the election that there is no member of Parliament in my caucus which would have been involved in any way with a foreign power,” he said at a press conference on June 19.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh have read the unredacted version. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will not go through the security process to read the full report. Conservative members of Parliament have argued if Poilievre reads the unredacted version, he won’t be able to act on what he learns. However, Poilievre’s office has said he would take a briefing from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service on issues specific to the Conservatives.