and provide us with the documents that are required to deal with this in a public hearing process, or what's the point?'" says Shore, a Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP Ottawa partner who represented over 250 victims' families. "He basically insisted this was not going to be a charade." Another commissioner may have been unable to take such a strong position, says Shore. "Maybe he didn't have much to lose. He has had his
distinguished career. Now he just has to do the right thing." Major says authorities gradually
began to make more information public, but access to documents proved conten- tious throughout the inquiry's proceed- ings. While accepting of the need to keep certain documents from prying eyes, he believes governments guard public information far too closely. "There were things redacted — that is, black lines
drawn through — which I eventually got un-redacted, and you'd read what was redacted and you'd wonder, well why? What difference does this make, that ser- geant so-and-so left the force four years ago? I don't attribute any ill motives, it's just a philosophy that's misplaced." Major also attributes the inquiry's slow
pace to the RCMP's practice of rotat- ing officers through various departments. While the policy gives officers a better
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