NDP Motion Calls for Full Release of Tommy Douglas Documents
Lingenfelter says no compelling reason to keep spy agency documents secret
NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter will bring forward a motion in the Legislature today requesting unanimous support of the Legislative Assembly to pressure the federal government to release classified documents pertaining to former Provincial and Federal NDP Leader Tommy Douglas. Lingenfelter said there is no justification for keeping the documents secret and that they would indeed serve a valuable purpose if released.
“Public access to information is a core tenet of our democracy and I can’t imagine any credible reason that these documents are being kept under wraps after all these years,” Lingenfelter said. “But to release them would shine a light on many of the controversial political tactics used to try to suppress the introduction of the most progressive programs in our country such as universal healthcare, old age pensions, and the first Bill of Rights in Canada.”
Lingenfelter said that strong-arm tactics by the police at the time medicare was being debated in Saskatchewan and elsewhere were used to intimidate Douglas and his supporters. Releasing the full, uncensored file that the RCMP gathered during that time, he said, would provide a valuable history lesson for those currently concerned with abuses of political power at the highest levels.
“Sometimes we need a reminder of what can happen when power goes unchecked,” Lingenfelter continued. “This is much less a partisan exercise on the part of the NDP than it is about exposing truth and hoping to prevent future abuses of power through these revelations.”
Actress and activist Shirley Douglas – Douglas’s daughter – said she strongly supports the motion being put forward today and said that she has witnessed a groundswell of similar support from people all across Canada.
“Everywhere I go, people are enthusiastically endorsing the release of the full intelligence file and are puzzled by the refusal of the government to make these documents public,” Douglas said. “It’s difficult to understand why these files are being withheld; our family, my father’s supporters, and indeed all Canadians deserve to know what information is contained within those reports. Otherwise how do we learn from our history?”
“Public access to information is a core tenet of our democracy and I can’t imagine any credible reason that these documents are being kept under wraps after all these years,” Lingenfelter said. “But to release them would shine a light on many of the controversial political tactics used to try to suppress the introduction of the most progressive programs in our country such as universal healthcare, old age pensions, and the first Bill of Rights in Canada.”
Lingenfelter said that strong-arm tactics by the police at the time medicare was being debated in Saskatchewan and elsewhere were used to intimidate Douglas and his supporters. Releasing the full, uncensored file that the RCMP gathered during that time, he said, would provide a valuable history lesson for those currently concerned with abuses of political power at the highest levels.
“Sometimes we need a reminder of what can happen when power goes unchecked,” Lingenfelter continued. “This is much less a partisan exercise on the part of the NDP than it is about exposing truth and hoping to prevent future abuses of power through these revelations.”
Actress and activist Shirley Douglas – Douglas’s daughter – said she strongly supports the motion being put forward today and said that she has witnessed a groundswell of similar support from people all across Canada.
“Everywhere I go, people are enthusiastically endorsing the release of the full intelligence file and are puzzled by the refusal of the government to make these documents public,” Douglas said. “It’s difficult to understand why these files are being withheld; our family, my father’s supporters, and indeed all Canadians deserve to know what information is contained within those reports. Otherwise how do we learn from our history?”
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