Feds ask court to keep documents related to scientists' firing under wraps
The Liberal government is asking the Federal Court to prohibit disclosure of documents related to the firing of two scientists at Canada's highest-security laboratory.
House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota reprimanded Public Health Agency of Canada head Iain Stewart on Monday over his repeated refusal to provide the unredacted documents to MPs on the Canada-China relations committee.
Court records say Stewart advised the attorney general Sunday in a notice under the Canada Evidence Act that sensitive or potentially injurious information would be disclosed should the documents be given to the committee.
After considering the notice, the attorney general filed an application in Federal Court requesting an order confirming the documents should remain under wraps.
The application says the disputed material is "information which if disclosed would be injurious to international relations or national defence or national security."
The filing, which says a public hearing may be necessary, names Rota as the respondent in the matter. The next steps must be decided by the Federal Court judge assigned to the case, it adds.
Opposition parties have joined forces to demand the documents in hopes that they'll shed light on why scientists Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were escorted out of Winnipeg's National Microbiology Laboratory in July 2019 and subsequently fired last January.
They are also seeking documents related to the transfer, overseen by Qiu, of deadly Ebola and Henipah viruses to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology in March 2019.
Stewart has said the virus transfer had nothing to do with the subsequent firings. He's also said there is no connection to COVID-19, a coronavirus that first appeared in China's Wuhan province and which some believe may have been released accidentally by the virology institute.
Nevertheless, opposition parties continue to suspect a link and remain determined to see the unredacted documents.
Counsel for the House of Commons will respond to the Federal Court notice in due course, said Heather Bradley, a spokeswoman in the Speaker's office.
The court filing does not affect the Speaker's ability to rule on the question of privilege before the House concerning the documents, she added.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.