By Canadian Press

Speaker Anthony Rota cites Afghan detainee matter in court dispute over documents

Aug 17, 2021 | 12:34 PM

OTTAWA — The Speaker of the House of Commons points to a decade-old dispute over records about Afghan detainees in arguing a current federal attempt to shield documents about two fired scientists should be tossed out of court.

In a new submission to the Federal Court, Anthony Rota cites the 2010 controversy as a precedent to bolster his argument the recent federal move is a violation of parliamentary privilege.

The Liberal government asked the court in June to affirm a prohibition on disclosure of records concerning dismissal of the scientists from Canada’s highest-security laboratory.

The move came shortly after Rota reprimanded Public Health Agency of Canada head Iain Stewart over his repeated refusal to provide the unredacted documents to MPs on the Canada-China relations committee. 

Stewart has advised the attorney general in a notice under the Canada Evidence Act that sensitive or potentially injurious information would be revealed should the documents be given to the committee.

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After considering the notice, the attorney general filed a court application seeking an order that confirms the documents must remain under wraps — an application Rota says should be dismissed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2021.

The Canadian Press