Access to Info Watch: In praise of parliamentary privilege

So, remember a few weeks back when the auditor general very nearly went to court to force the House of Commons to hand over confidential committee correspondence so he could fulfill an Access to Info request from the NDP research bureau?

If you blinked and missed it, fear not: the blog posts here and here will fill you in the details.

For the archives-averse, suffice it to say that when the looming legal showdown was revealed by intrepid Halifax Chronicle Herald reporter Paul McLeod, government and opposition members alike responded as one, first with confusion and disbelief ("Can they ...er, we ... actually do that?") followed by outrage ("How dare they... er, we... er, House officials acting on our behalf actually do that!"), vows to set things right just as soon as the Commons was back in session ("We'll undo it, you'll see ... that is, unless those rascals on the other side of the aisle stop us!") and, ultimately, the unanimous passage of an official resolution instructing the House to waive privilege in that case, thus allowing the documents to be released. ("There, see? Done. Let that be a lesson to... us.")

Meanwhile, the speaker -- who, as guardian of the House, had found himself at the centre of the now-settled controversy -- suggested that the question be put to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs for "prompt and thorough review," as, he noted, "House committees and their officials will most likely continue to be confronted with more requests of a similar nature."

Earlier today, that committee had its first chance to hear the other side of the story -- namely, why privilege had been invoked in the first place, and what the consequences could be if the Commons were to make a habit of declining to do so in future -- from no less an august parliamentary personage than Deputy Clerk Marc Bosc -- known informally around these parts as The Biggest, Baddest Procedural Clerk in the House of Commons -- himself.

Here's what he had to say: 
Procreprivatip e