Sean Casey Watch: Liberal MP to call for committee investigation into privacy breach
Although the basic mathematics of majority government almost certainly render this motion mooted before it even hits the table at Veterans Affairs, the seemingly irrepressible rookie from Charlottetown is at it again.
Hit the jump for the full post.
Although the basic mathematics of majority government almost certainly render this motion mooted before it even hits the table at Veterans Affairs, the seemingly irrepressible rookie from Charlottetown is at it again.
Earlier today, Casey gave notice of the following motion, which he intends to move tomorrow morning:
That, in light of alleged recent breaches of privacy in which political staff from the office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs may have repeatedly accessed the personal records of at least one veteran, the Standing Committee on Veteran Affairs conduct extensive open and public hearings in order to better understand what safeguards currently exist to protect the privacy of veterans; That the Committee provide recommendations to the government to better protect the privacy of our veterans and ensure access to personal or medical records is properly restricted to prevent their use for political purposes or accessed by political officials to intimidate veterans; That the Committee be tasked with finding what "best practices" exists in other jurisdictions to protect the privacy of veteran and that the Committee report its findings back to the House within two sitting weeks after completion of its study.
Given the somewhat incendiary tone, it seems unlikely that the Conservative contingent will support Casey's bid to "conduct extensive open and public hearings" into alleged breaches of privacy involving ministerial staff, but at the very least, Casey will get the chance to put his argument on the official record.
As for when it comes time to put the proposal to a vote, well, as recent history at this very committee has demonstrated, on at least one previous occasion, certain government members have gone missing at just the wrong -- or, depending on your perspective, right -- moment.
