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