Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota is seen in the House of Commons Wednesday April 14, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – A federal attempt to shield documents related to the firing of two scientists is a violation of parliamentary privilege and must be tossed out of court, House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota says.
In a notice of motion filed Thursday in Federal Court, Rota says the House, by virtue of its parliamentary privileges, has the power to send for the “persons, papers and records” it deems necessary to its functions.
“This constitutionally entrenched power is fundamental to our system of parliamentary democracy, and to Parliament’s critical role in acting as the ‘grand inquest of the nation’ and in holding the executive branch of government to account,” Rota’s notice says.
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The speaker told the court that the government interfered with the exclusive jurisdiction of the House of Representatives
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