Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre accuses Justin Trudeau of taking Canadian Security Intelligence Agency (CSIS) leaks more seriously than Chinese interference per se and continues to call for a public inquiry.

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“It’s incredible that the intelligence community is as concerned as they are willing to be [prendre] those kinds of risks to their personal interest to expose the attack on our democracy that Justin Trudeau is trying to camouflage,” Mr Poilievre said in a news conference on Tuesday.

The theory put forward by Mr. Poilievre and other observers is that the multiple recent Globe & Mail revelations are the product of CSIS officials frustrated by the Trudeau administration’s lack of action on China’s interference in Canadian business.

There is no unequivocal proof that this is the case, but CSIS Director David Vigneault, in response to a question in committee last week about the relationship between his service and Prime Minister Trudeau’s office, had suggested that it was ” ways for people to express their dissatisfaction”.

The Globe & Mail leaks are now the subject of two separate investigations, one by CSIS itself and another by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Mr. Trudeau himself has snubbed CSIS twice in recent weeks.

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“In the history of our country, we have never had an intelligence agency so preoccupied with a prime minister and his collaboration with a foreign power willing to release this type of information,” Mr Poilievre added.

The latter regretted the appointment of a “special rapporteur” announced yesterday by the Prime Minister and stressed the importance of a public and independent inquiry.

He accused Mr Trudeau of wanting “a secret and controlled process” to better control information.

“The only vigorous investigation he wants is to target whistleblowers. That’s Justin Trudeau’s priority,” the Conservative leader added. “It’s not about protecting democracy from foreign interference, it’s about protecting ourselves politically by attacking and destroying the brave whistleblowers who have already leaked these secrets.”

Yves-François Blanchet reiterated that the person appointed “special rapporteur” should be elected by all parliamentarians and not just by the prime minister and his team.

“Do you really think the Prime Minister of Canada will appoint an independent special rapporteur without making a phone call? Without asking him two or three questions?” asked the leader of the Bloc Québécois in a press conference.

He said stories of Chinese interference in Canadian affairs could undermine Canada’s relationship with its allies.

“This weakness can damage the trust and quality of the relationship Canada has with its allies,” he said.

For his part, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh still advocates a public inquiry, but prefers to leave the chance to the runner, the special rapporteur.

Whatever the form of the state inquiry, Mr Singh insists it must be “transparent and independent”. However, unlike the Bloc Québécois, he does not demand a say in the appointment of the special rapporteur.