Back to the brink

Meetings this week failed to produce an agreement on the release and review of documents related to the treatment of Afghan detainees. The next meeting is apparently scheduled for Monday.

With the House due to rise on Thursday, the NDP now says that their deadline for an agreement is Monday. If no agreement is reached then, they say they will seek to return to the House to pursue a resolution there.

It’s not clear exactly what form that resolution could conceivably take. When the Speaker ruled in April he advised that "if ... the matter is still not resolved, the Chair will return to make a statement on the motion that will be allowed in the circumstances."

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The government’s response, via the Justice Minister’s office: "Meetings with the Opposition have shown positive signs and will continue in a spirit of cooperation."

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And from the Liberal side, via a spokesman for Ralph Goodale: "Speculating on strategy is not productive. What we’re focusing on is getting an agreement signed before the end of the session. Lines of communication remain open and progress is being made, though admittedly all sides are feeling more pressure as the end of session nears."

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The Canadian Press counts the Bloc with the NDP and explores the myriad hypotheticals now back in play.