I am beginning to think this whole inquiry is cut out to be a whitewash with the intelligence services operating to sabotage everything in private, although at least there are groups being allowed to make presentations. However, all the questioning of officials will be behind closed doors for the most part and who knows what will even be made available publicly. I have been asking two simple question's of Stockwell Day's office since January 11: When will the Inquiry begin? Will there be a website? So far I have had no answer just a response from my MP's office that doesn't answer the questions. Is this typical? What is the use of giving an email address for Day if no one even acknowledges receipt of email. I have sent several followup emails.
Meeting deadline in commission probe will be challenge, co-counsel says Canadian Press
Published: Sunday, February 18, 2007 Article tools
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OTTAWA (CP) - One of the newly appointed lead counsel for an inquiry into the foreign imprisonment of three Canadians acknowledges it won't be easy to meet the commission's tight deadline.
"It's certainly a challenge," lawyer John Laskin said Friday.
"We're going to do it as expeditiously as we can."
Laskin, a senior partner at Toronto law firm Torys LLP, will serve as lead counsel for the commision of inquiry along with John Terry, also a partner with the firm.
The probe, headed by former Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci, will examine the cases of Abdullah Almalki, Muayyed Nureddin and Ahmad El Maati.
The three Arab-Canadians, like engineer Maher Arar, say they were detained and tortured in Middle Eastern prisons - possibly on the basis of information supplied by Canadian officials.
Iacobucci has until Jan. 31 to deliver a report.
A one-day session is planned for March 21 in Ottawa to hear from parties interested in taking part in the inquiry. A few weeks later there will be a session inviting input on inquiry procedures.
The terms of reference for the inquiry indicate the bulk of the probe, unlike the high-profile Arar commission, will be behind closed doors.
One key reason is that Iacobucci must avoid compromising any continuing criminal investigations. The RCMP has repeatedly said that Project A-O Canada, an anti-terrorist investigation in which Almalki was once considered the main target, is ongoing.
Laskin said it is unclear how much of the hearings will be in public.
"Those are determinations that have yet to be made. And it's one of the points on which the commissioner might wish to hear from the interested parties."
Laskin, however, suggested the relatively closed nature of the proceedings may prevent the sort of delays that saw the Arar inquiry continue for 2 1/2 years. Much time was spent wrangling over whether certain information was too sensitive to disclose.
Laskin said a large amount of documentation is being amassed for the latest inquiry. "We're in the process of assembling the information we'll have to sift through."
He has some experience with national security matters, having acted for the now-defunct RCMP Security Service on behalf of the Solicitor General, and as one of the counsel for the Security Intelligence Review Committee, the watchdog over CSIS.
Laskin says he is looking forward to the task ahead.
"Obviously, the government has determined that these issues are worthy of the kind of consideration that this process can bring to bear."
© The Canadian Press 2007
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