Military satellite deal could set stage for new battle over cabinet secrecy

Federal Conservatives have demanded the Carney government open the books on the recent $2.3-billion military satellite deal with Telesat — a call that lays the groundwork for a bruising political battle this fall depending upon how far they want to take it.

The Official Opposition wants to see public disclosure of the contract and what sort of safeguards were put in place to prevent a conflict of interest for Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The plan to deliver state-of-the-art, secure communications for the Canadian military in the Arctic languished for decades before it was formally set in motion last week.

Carney and the CEO of Telesat, Dan Goldberg, are longtime friends and conservative pundits lit up social media last week with comments and concerns about the program.

James Bezan, the Conservative defence critic, said it's important to get the satellite capability into the hands of the military as quickly as possible, but the public needs an extra level of reassurance, given that the contract award was expedited over a matter of several months.

"This is about a matter of trust and transparency," Bezan said. "We're calling for a release of the contract, the terms of the contract and the decision-making process that was used by the government right up to the prime minister and cabinet."

That could be a tall order. The confidentiality of corporate contracts and cabinet discussions is deeply institutionalized within the federal government and protected by legislation.

Specifically, cabinet confidentiality hides why a project was selected, and commercial exemptions keep the exact terms of the deal under wraps. The public and opposition MPs often rely on independent watchdogs, such as the auditor general or parliamentary budget officer (PBO), to retroactively investigate whether Canadians received good value for taxpayer money.

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The last major battle over cabinet confidentiality and document access in Parliament took place two years ago in a historic fight over Sustainable Development Technology Canada — or the "green slush fund" as the opposition referred to it.

The Conservative-led opposition passed a binding House of Commons order demanding the Liberal government turn over all internal files regarding that foundation to Parliament's law clerk.