Quebec names commissioners who will probe police spying scandal

Quebec has unveiled who will be on the commission of inquiry tasked with looking into the police surveillance of journalists.

The three commissioners were chosen to represent the legal, police and journalism spheres.

It will be led by Jacques Chamberland, an appeals court judge with 45 years of experience.

The other two commissioners are Alexandre Matte, a police tech teacher and former police officer, and Guylaine Bachand, a lawyer specialized in media law.

• Quebec launches commission of inquiry into police spying on journalists

The provincial government says the commission will hold public hearings, but in certain cases can exercise the right to holdclosed-door sessions.

Its mandate is three-fold:

• Investigate and make recommendations regarding the investigative practices police use that may undermine the protection ofjournalistic sources, including looking into allegations of political interference that may have led to the initiation of police investigations.
• Investigate and make recommendations on how warrants that may compromise the identities of journalistic sources are obtainedand executed.
• Make recommendations to the government on best practices when it comes to protecting sources, which may focus on how the the Crown prosecutors' officer works, the guidelines surrounding how warrants are authorized and ways to revise legislative and administrative frameworks.

The commissionwill cover a roughly six-year time period beginning May 7, 2010, the day the Supreme Court of Canadahanded down a ruling on the protection ofconfidential journalistic sources.

A start date has not been announced. The commissioners will have until March 1, 2018 to submit their report.

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