I was afraid of this.
Ottawa won't release Afghan documents
December 11, 2009 12:12:54
Susan Delacourt
Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government appears unwilling to hand over documents as ordered in a vote last night in the Commons, setting the stage for a showdown with Parliament and a possible rendezvous with the courts.
International Trade Minister Stockwell Day indicated this morning that the opposition parties would have to go to the courts to get all the information they're seeking on whether Afghan prisoners detained by Canadian forces were subject to torture when handed over to local authorities, and what the government knew about the issue.
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9 comments:
The opposition parties need to get a Speaker's Warrant for the documents, and if/when the Conservative government refuse, vote them in contempt of Parliament and order the cops to collect the documents.
I agree. This is a trap, if the opposition go to court, Ministers will all stand up and say as one "We would love to answer your question, but we never comment on anything before the courts" whenever someone asks about detainees.
Why is Stockwell Day, the International Trade Minister and college dropout, speaking on this subject?
No need to go to court, if they refuse, it's contempt of Parliament, and they should be pilloried in the press.
Why won't the coalition simply remove their confidence over this matter. They have already confirmed and passed judgement of an alleged cover up?
Why did the Liberals and Ndp support a supply bill instead of triggering an election?
Do they agree with the 68.9% the government and PM deserve a passing grade?
Read what Norman Spector wrote. This is a fight between supposed parliamentary privilege and National Security. The idea that the speaker could issue a warrant and the RCMP would enforce it is ridiculous. This will go to the Supreme Court and I believe Norman when he says the opposition will lose.
Parliament is Supreme and is under the Charter of Rights
Norman Spector missed a small, yet crucial, element of the situation: The Conservatives are currently saying that they are above Parliament's legitimate legal authority. If the opposition's case won't hold any ground because they would have to argue that MPs are above secrecy law, the Conservative's argument wouldn't work either.
I guess it'd be nice to finally find out what happens when an unstoppable force meets and immovable object.
Conservative MPs are free to see the docs?
I doubt it, some Ministers of the Crown likely, but not MPs of any stripe.
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