A couple of hours is what Michael Ignatieff says it will take for he and Stephen Harper to find a solution to the Afghan detainee document issue if an “extremely secretive” Prime Minister can change the way he does business.
“I am willing to reach out,” the Liberal Leader told reporters today after the meeting of his national caucus, which dealt with yesterday’s historic ruling by the Speaker of the House of Commons. “What I’m saying once again is, let’s not make this more complicated than it need be. A government and an opposition that are both acting in good faith can find a solution in a couple of hours.”
The Conservatives, meanwhile, are signalling they are prepared to let MPs see classified documents provided the opposition members involved swear oaths of secrecy. After the Tory caucus meeting, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told reporters there are similar processes in place in the United States that could work here.
“Opposition parties and members are entitled to see documents but of course they have to maintain secrecy in respect to those documents,” he said. “Anyone who is given those types of documents would in fact have to maintain secrecy in accordance with the law.”
Mr. Toews added: “I’m actually quite looking forward to some kind of a compromise that follows from the Speaker’s ruling. I think the Speaker put the issues out there and I think that everyone now knows what the issues are and how we deal with that.”
The Liberal Leader has dispatched Ralph Goodale to speak to the government. No meetings have yet been scheduled, but they could begin as early as tomorrow.
Mr. Ignatieff has two key questions for the government. “we have to have a process that allows us to affirm … the supremacy of Parliament and find out the answer to the second question: has the government been telling us the truth?”
Speaker Peter Milliken delivers his ruling on whether the government's refusal to hand over documents on Afghan detainees violates the privileges of MPs in the House of Commons on April 27, 2010. — The Canadian Press
Speaker Peter Milliken ruled yesterday that Parliament is supreme and gave the government two weeks to work out a solution whereby secret documents relating to the Afghan detainee issue could be shown to MPs. The Harper government risks being held in contempt if a compromise cannot be found – and that could trigger a general election.
However, the initial signals suggest a compromise is possible.
In his comments, the Public Safety Minister explained that in the United States, members of Congressional committees with responsibility for national security are regularly granted private access to classified information.
“That’s one solution,” Mr. Toews said. “Americans do that with the Democrats and the Republicans and it’s worked quite successfully. There are certainly issues about being able to disclose that information once it’s released to individuals and there are penalties according to law if that information is inappropriately released.”
He added: “We’re looking at working with the opposition leaders. That’s something that the Prime Minister’s office is doing together with [Justice Minister Rob] Nicholson and I’m actually quite encouraged that we can find some kind of a compromise based on that ruling.”
The minister’s comments are the first detailed government response after yesterday’s ruling. It is becoming clear today that the government intends to negotiate an arrangement with the opposition rather than asking the Supreme Court to intervene.
Mr. Ignatieff, too, appears hopeful. “It is obvious to me that a solution is within the grasp of people of good faith,” he said. “So let’s find it.”
