Iacobucci to be "vigilant" about secrecy level.

While Iacobucci says he will hold some hearings in public it remains to be seen what the scope of them will be and how much of the other processes are made public. Most of this inquiry will be a meeting of the Torys LLP law firm with the Tories. Even much of the Arar report was heavily censored oftn against the wishes of Justice O'Connor.

Terror inquiry head to be "vigilant’ about secrecy level

By The Canadian Press




OTTAWA — Former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci is promising to dig into the roles played by the RCMP and CSIS in the arrest and torture abroad of three Canadians accused of consorting with terrorists at home.

But the public may never see most of the details he unearths, because of tight restrictions placed on the inquiry in the name of national security.

In an opening statement Wednesday, Iacobucci acknowledged his work will "generally" be done behind closed doors under the terms of reference laid out for him by the Conservative government.

He expressed hope, however, that the secrecy won’t undermine public confidence in the proceedings.

"It was a condition of my accepting the role of commissioner that this is to be an independent inquiry," he said. "Having been a judge for some 17 years, I have a profound respect for the principles of independence and acting in the public interest."

Iacobucci went on to pledge to be "as vigilant as I can to ensure that the inquiry is as independent, thorough and fair as it can possibly be under the circumstances."

At issue are the ordeals of Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin, all Canadian citizens of Muslim extraction who adamantly deny any terrorist links. They say their detention and mistreatment in Syria and Egypt resulted from misleading information supplied to those countries by Canadian police and security officers.

Iacobucci was appointed last December to get to the bottom of the affair. But the terms of reference announced by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day define the probe as an "internal inquiry" and provide that most of the evidence be examined in private.

The terms do allow Iacobucci to conduct some public hearings if he considers them "essential" to his work, and he signalled Monday that he will take advantage of the opportunity.



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On Frank Iacobucci

This the official blurb from the inquiry website. In another post I provide a CBC news report on his work on the Indian Residential Schools issue.

The Commissioner
The Honourable Frank Iacobucci
The Honourable Frank Iacobucci, Q.C., LL.D. has had a distinguished career in private practice, academia, government and the judiciary. He began his career in 1964 as a lawyer at a large New York City law firm where he practiced corporate and securities law. In 1967, he joined the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, and was a professor of law there until 1985. He also served as Vice-President, Internal Affairs at the University of Toronto from 1975 to 1979 and Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 to 1985, he was Vice-President and Provost of the University. In 1985, Frank was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General for Canada; in 1988, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada; and in 1991, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

During his career, Mr. Iacobucci was also a Commissioner of the Ontario Securities Commission from 1982 to 1985, and Counsel to the Estey Commission in 1974.

He joined Torys LLP as Counsel in September 2004 after retiring as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. From September 2004 to July 2005, he also served as Interim President of the University of Toronto. Mr. Iacobucci has assumed a full-time senior advisory role at Torys where his work includes guidance, advice and support to clients of Torys and members of the firm.

Mr. Iacobucci has received numerous awards, honours and other recognitions in Canada, the United States, England and Italy.

Iacobucci Inquiry: Big Guns from Big Torys

Not only is the Iacobucci Inquiry internal the commissioner, and the two main counsels all come from one humungous firm: Tory LLP. Here is a description of the firm:

Torys LLP is an international business law firm with 300 New York and Toronto lawyers. Our strength lies in working with clients on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and major litigation matters. In addition, the firm’s expertise in a wide range of other practice areas enables us to focus on the needs of our business clients. Our New York and Toronto lawyers work together to offer a unique wealth of talent, experience and seamless cross-border service to clients on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border and around the world.

Torys has a reputation for quality, creativity and teamwork, and we are trusted legal advisers in complex transactions and major disputes. Emerging businesses depend on Torys to guide them through their growth and development. Businesses involved in disputes turn to Torys to develop and implement effective litigation strategies.

We take pride in helping clients find innovative solutions to increasingly complex problems that often transcend geographic borders and legal systems. We are driven by this passion for achieving our clients’ goals.