Even with new powers, CSIS says there are limits on its ability to name names

Canada's spy agency says that while it can brief more Canadians than ever before on sensitive information, it still can't share personal information — or name names — if the person receiving the briefing doesn't have the proper clearance.

That clarification from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) comes in the middle of a tense debate in Canadian politics over why Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has refused to get the top-level security clearance he would need to view classified documents on foreign interference.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the public inquiry investigating foreign election meddling that he's seen classified intelligence indicating Conservative parliamentarians are involved in or vulnerable to foreign interference.

"I have 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," he said.

During his testimony, Trudeau also accused Poilievre of being "irresponsible" by refusing to go through the process to obtain the top-secret security clearance the prime minister said would allow the Conservative leader to be briefed on allegations concerning his party.

"The decision by the leader of the Conservative Party to not get those classified briefings means that nobody in his party — not him, nobody in a position of power — knows the names of these individuals and can take appropriate action," Trudeau said.

He said it also means no one from the party can speak up for the people in question if the intelligence is "shoddy,"  incomplete or based on a single source.

Poilievre quickly retaliated with a statement accusing the prime minister of lying and grandstanding.

"Justin Trudeau is doing what he always does: he is lying. He is lying to distract from a Liberal caucus revolt against his leadership and revelations he knowingly allowed Beijing to interfere and help him win two elections," he wrote.

In that statement, the Conservative leader suggested there are other ways for the government to share intelligence with him that don't require him to get a security clearance.

Poilievre has said getting the necessary clearance to see those unclassified details would prevent him from questioning or challenging the government on the issue of foreign interference.

The CSIS Act allows the government to offer "information to any Canadian about specific risks of foreign interference without forcing them into sworn secrecy or controlling what they say," Poilievre wrote.

Last spring, the House of Commons pushed through, with broad support, the government's legislation to counter foreign interference, formally known as Bill C-70.

The law now allows CSIS to disclose sensitive information beyond the federal government.