Inside Politics

Afghanistan committee update: Back by popular demand ...

by Kady O'Malley Posted: December 13, 2009 8:35 PM Last Updated: December 13, 2009 9:12 PM
.. or, to be specific, at the demand of four members, with an in camera meeting now officially scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, barring a snap prorogation between now and then. At the moment, we don't know exactly what will be on the agenda, but on Friday, the Liberal members sent a letter to the chair asking that both Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk be invited to testify that day -- but separately. 

According to the Liberals, a joint appearance "would not be appropriate," due to MacKay's "complete failure"  to either "acknowledge the importance" of the "shocking information" that Natynczyk revealed last week, or "follow the General's honourable and correct course of action in setting the record straight," a demand that will doubtless go over as well with the minister's office as the one that asks that MacKay bring along those uncensored documents that the House has ordered the government to produce. They also have a list of potential future witnesses, which seems to have been cribbed from the Colvin memos cc: lists.  

Although the meeting is, as noted, currently slated to take place behind closed doors, they've booked the room for the full two hours, and all it takes is a simple majority vote to open it up to the public. Somehow, I think I know how I'm going to be spending my first Tuesday of the holiday recess -- that is, unless I find myself shivering outside Rideau Hall instead. 



Tags: blackberry jungle, colvin affair