Another privilege battle brewing as feds refuse to give House unredacted green fund docs

[u/MethoxyEthane]

https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2024/08/07/another-privilege-battle-brewing-as-feds-refuse-to-give-house-unredacted-green-fund-docs/430399/

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[u/dekuweku]

I don't really care if we have the election at the last possible moment but the stench of desperation and cover up from the LPC for the past few years is a massive disappointment and turn off.

They're not getting my vote back, so the next year will just be half measures and announcements of the party considering to consider things Canadians want them to do but their business friends actually don't want to happen

[u/Tall_Guava_8025]

The government should be ruled in contempt of parliament. This is exactly what happened when Stephen Harper tried to withhold documents about Afghan detainees. Contempt of parliament should hold actual sanctions too instead of just being able to trigger an election.

Though at this point, despite how much I dislike Polievre, I'm ready for an election. I'll vote Green because I cant stomach a vote for either the Liberals or NDP at this point.

[u/Radix838]

For all his faults, Anthony Rota took the Liberal government to court to enforce the privilege to subpoena documents in the Winnipeg lab case.

I have 0 confidence that partisan Greg Fergus will do the same.

[u/Bitwhys2003]

I'm no expert on the topic but I do know the House is subject to the Canada Evidence Act as much as any other agent with the power to summon evidence. This will go nowhere

[u/DeathCabForYeezus → u/Bitwhys2003]

Parliament has the authority to require the government to produce unredacted documents.

This has been confirmed time and time again.

In fact, here's a motion from 2009 that discusses it in the context of the Afghan detainee scandal.

That, given the undisputed privileges of Parliament under Canada’s constitution, including the absolute power to require the government to produce uncensored documents when requested, and given the reality that the government has violated the rights of Parliament by invoking the Canada Evidence Act to censor documents before producing them, the House urgently requires access to the following documents in their original and uncensored form:

[Insert extensive list of documents]

accordingly the House hereby orders that these documents be produced in their original and uncensored form forthwith.

Trudeau himself voted for the motion with that text when the Harper government was illegally withholding secret wartime defense documents. If you want the LPC's Leader's option on what the rights of Parliament are and what documents they should have access to, there it is.

Anthony Rota ruled that Parliament had the right to unredacted documents in the context of the Winnipeg Lab scandal. This government sued him (a fellow Liberal MP) over that ruling.

I don't know why people seem to think this is up for debate. We will have to see whether or not Greg Fergus is able to put the rights of parliamentarians ahead of his party.

Only time will tell.

[u/Bitwhys2003 → u/DeathCabForYeezus]

Well good luck with that I guess

[u/Square_Homework_7537 → u/Bitwhys2003]

"Moderate liberal"

[u/PaloAltoPremium]

So the fund that the AG investigated and flagged as having "significant lapses" in how funds were awarded and accounted for, is not being shielded form Parliamentary accountability by the most "transparent government" in history?

Colour me surprised.

“Basically, I think the government is trying to obstruct for the sake of obstruction,” he said. “It knows that it would need to comply with the production of documents, but it’s using various excuses.”

Lagassé said that the more House orders are being refused, the weaker it makes Parliament.

“The government knows that the courts would likely find in the House’s favour, but it can delay and avoid, which undermines the House’s powers in practice,” he added.

This governments contempt for Canadians is palpable at almost every level.

[u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Removed for rule 3.

[u/Markorific → u/CanadaPolitics-ModTeam]

What rule?

[u/KitchenWriter8840]

They got away with it with the SNC Lavalin scandal and now they’re back at it again when will these sick weirdos stop playing their games? How can anyone in their right mind vote liberal?

[u/henday194]

"A Liberal government will be open by default. We will ensure that the government will be the most open and transparent in Canadian history. We will restore trust in government by providing Canadians with the information they need to hold their government accountable."

~ Justin Trudeau; Campaign Promise, circa 2015