Even though the Libs and Bloc have capitulated on the means of assessing the Harper government's handling of Afghan torture documents, I'd hope there isn't much doubt left about the plausibility of the Cons' spin seeking to suppress vital information. But for those still looking to test whether the Cons have believed a word they've spoken in trying to cover up key documents, the news that word of Canada's treatment of prisoners has come out in a U.K. courtroom should offer a golden opportunity.
After all, if the Cons genuinely believe that information about detainee treatment has to be covered up due to the need for other countries to trust that their information will be kept secret, then today's news would make for a massive breach of that expectation. So the Cons should be in a full-blown rage at our British allies.
On the other hand, if international relations are simply an excuse to try to shut down public inquiry into a damaging issue, then we'd expect the Cons to downplay today's news in hopes that it'll go away. But that will speak volumes as to whether the publicization of information about detainee treatment is actually seen as affecting information sharing among countries.
Needless to say, the Cons' response so far shouldn't come as much surprise. But let's give them a bit more time to decide whether or not they're prepared to concede that their "international relations" excuse - which figures to play a role in the document review set to happen any month now - has been nonsense from day one.
(Edit: fixed typo, wording.)
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