Ottawa, ON- Laurie Hawn, MP for Edmonton Centre swore an oath to fulfill the necessary security requirements yesterday, to carry out his commitment as the Government representative chosen to serve on the Afghanistan document committee. 

“It’s a tremendous honour and privilege to be selected by the Prime Minster to carry out such an important task for our country,” said MP Hawn.  “I look forward to the opportunity to bring some resolution to this issue.” 

A panel, consisting of three judges, will act as arbiters, advising a three-member committee of MPs on how to disclose "relevant and necessary" information to the public in a manner that does not jeopardize national security. The rulings of the judicial panel on the disclosure of documents will be "final and unreviewable."

Mr. Hawn sits on the Standing Committee on National Defence (SCOND) and the Special Committee on the Mission in Afghanistan.  Mr. Hawn has been to Afghanistan six times since being elected as an MP and was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.  Prior to being elected as an MP, Hawn served for 31 years in the Air Force, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Tens of thousands of uncensored pages relating to Canada's handling of Afghan detainees will be examined by the security-cleared committee of MPs in the upcoming weeks and months.    

“While a great deal of my time will be dedicated to closely reviewing these documents, I can assure my constituents that I will continue to attend as many weekend events as possible this summer,” said MP Hawn.  

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For more information or to schedule an interview with Mr. Hawn, please contact Drew Ostash at (613) 992-4524.

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