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Cabinet privilege being the convention, linked to the oath of confidentiality, that shelters cabinet minutes, documents and the like from public scrutiny for decades after the fact.

Not that Eby was suggesting a blanket waiver of the long-standing rule that protects governments of every political persuasion.

Rather: “I can commit on behalf of the government, that information from these documents would remain confidential.”

The material would instead be examined in confidence to indicate avenues of inquiry that have been proven fruitless and to suggest ones that might be worth a second try.

If Wilkinson were amenable to the request, the New Democrats would make a direct approach to the designated representative of the previous government in these matters, former cabinet minister, now backbench MLA, Mike de Jong.

How could Wilkinson not be amenable to such an innocent request? Eby asked in followup media interviews. Only a cynic would suspect that the attorney general crafted the letter to call what he regarded as an out-and-out bluff on Coleman’s part.

The Liberal response, more of a non-response really, played straight into Eby’s hands.

“Instead of playing games with confidential cabinet documents, the attorney general should focus on implementing the recommendations from the German Report and pursuing charges against those who have broken the law,” returned Opposition house leader Mary Polak, responding on behalf of Wilkinson.