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This breach of the confidentiality of what is supposed to be a highly confidential judicial appointment process is serious enough to require an investigation on its own

After the meeting, while other Liberal MPs left without making their position clear, Erskine-Smith stayed and said he believed an expanded waiver may be necessary — depending what Wilson-Raybould’s evidence to the justice committee showed.

“If still, to get at the truth, there is additional information that Ms. Wilson-Raybould and Ms. Philpott need to provide that they are unable to provide because of the confines of the existing waiver, then yes, to get at the truth there should be a broadening of that waiver,” he said.

He said he believed that was only a fair position, given the comments from some of his colleagues that “we should get all of this information out in the open as quickly as possible and deal with it and move on.”

Both the Conservatives and NDP — and even Erskine-Smith — condemned two stories that came out Monday that contained leaks about the Supreme Court of Canada appointment process. The stories cited confidential sources to allege that tension had arisen between Trudeau and Wilson-Raybould when she recommended the appointment of Glenn Joyal, a Manitoba judge who Trudeau felt to be too conservative.

“This breach of the confidentiality of what is supposed to be a highly confidential judicial appointment process is serious enough to require an investigation on its own,” said Conservative MP Peter Kent during the meeting.

Speaking earlier in the day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not respond directly when asked by a reporter whether his office leaked the story.

“Canadians can have confidence in our government’s respect for the institutions, for the Supreme Court,” he said. “Canadians have confidence in the strength of our judiciary in this country. And I have no further comment to make on this issue.”

• Email: bplatt@postmedia.com | Twitter: btaplatt