A Senate committee has launched an investigation into confidential parliamentary reports leaked to the National Post and CBC, although senators admit identifying those responsible may prove difficult.Blacklock's Reporter says the Senate rules committee opened hearings into the unauthorized release of draft findings from the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.The investigation centres on two separate leaks in June involving a confidential report examining Canada's euthanasia regulations.Sen. Yonah Martin of British Columbia, who previously co-chaired the joint committee, told senators the leaks created controversy before Parliament had an opportunity to review the findings.“Media love these types of stories,” Martin testified. “They have created this controversy.”Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski, who represented Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Ont., and served as the committee's other co-chair, declined to appear before the Senate hearing. No explanation was provided.According to parliamentary records, confidential draft copies of the euthanasia report were distributed to committee members June 4, accompanied by explicit instructions prohibiting disclosure.“The draft report was sent to all committee members with reminders of strict confidentiality and ‘confidential’ written across the report with a watermark,” Martin said.“There was also a password sent to access the report. This is a familiar procedure for all of you who serve on multiple committees.”The joint committee subsequently met behind closed doors June 9 to examine the draft findings.“On June 9 the joint committee met in camera to review the committee’s draft report,” Martin said. “I chaired this meeting.”Despite the confidentiality requirements, the National Post published details from a leaked draft June 15, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the document.The following day, CBC News reported information from a separate leak involving the final confidential version of the report..The broadcaster attributed its information to three sources who had knowledge of the findings but were not authorized to discuss them publicly.The final report had been completed June 16 and was scheduled to be tabled in Parliament the following day.Martin said she could not explain how confidential versions of the document reached journalists before their official release.“I was very upset about what happened,” she told the committee.Sen. Sharon Burey of Ontario questioned Martin about the consequences of the unauthorized disclosures.“Can you assess what harm occurred because of the breach of confidentiality?” Burey asked.“It is very serious and important, and for good reason,” Martin replied.Sen. Paulette Senior of Ontario said the leaks raised broader concerns about whether parliamentarians can trust that confidential committee discussions and documents will remain private.“There have been leaks here,” Senior acknowledged.“This gets to a level of trust,” she said.“I think possibly what we’re dealing with is whether or not colleagues can trust that what they are saying in camera, whether that be a report or discussions, can be trusted not to be leaked. Therein lies the potential harm.”Conservative Sen. Denise Batters of Saskatchewan noted that access to the confidential report was not limited to the parliamentarians serving on the joint committee.Political staff, parliamentary employees and other officials had access to different versions of the document before its public release.Batters said one draft was “emailed out on June 4 to potentially a hundred people.”The widespread distribution could complicate efforts to determine who provided the documents to journalists.Senators acknowledged the investigation may be unable to establish the identities of those responsible for the disclosures.The hearings also raise questions about Parliament's ability to protect confidential committee proceedings when draft reports are circulated among large numbers of MPs, senators and staff.The Senate rules committee is examining the breaches and their implications for parliamentary confidentiality.
