Inside Politics

UPDATED - The witness vanishes: Liveblogging PMO DComm Dimitri Soudas' empty chair at Ethics

by Kady O'Malley Posted: May 25, 2010 10:15 AM Last Updated: May 25, 2010 2:41 PM
With formerly anticipated star witness Dimitri Soudas having sent last minute regrets for his imminent non-appearance at today's meeting -- albeit doing so via the magic of Sunday morning television, which is unlikely to meet with Miss Manners' approval -- what will the Ethics committee do with the two hours that had been so carefully set aside to hear his side of the story on alleged interference in access to information requests? Well, we're about to find out. 

Personally, I'm still holding out faint hope that the PM will show up instead -- perhaps with his shy and retiring staffer in tow, Diane Finley-style. After all, this isn't a snub, it's a testament to his government's passionate commitment to ministerial accountability, right? 

Check back at 11am for full coverage. 

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UPDATE: Okay, I've checked the blues from today's House proceedings, and even called the Speaker's office to make sure, and I can confirm that he has not, in fact, been asked to weigh in on the government's stated intention of dispatching uninvited ministers to testify on behalf of political staffers, which is seemingly at odds with the repeated references to an eventual ruling on the matter by Ethics chair Paul Szabo during this morning's meeting. 

Now, it's possible that somewhere in the background, someone -- or more than one someones, even --- is diligently assembling the arguments required to put forward a comprehensive question of privilege on the matter, but at the moment, the Speaker hasn't received notice of a single one. At the moment, Hill's statement -- and the policy -- stands unchallenged, at least officially. 


Tags: attention house law clerk rob walsh: you might want to grab an early lunch, blackberry jungle, committee liveblogging, DimitriWatch (or possibly DimitriNotWatch), ethics committee, the accountability government strikes back!