Hearing to unseal warrants resumes next week

A joint media application to unseal the warrants related to the Portapique shooter has been postponed until May 11, at which point the Crown attorneys in the case said they will present their position on the matter.

Mark Covan, representing the federal Crown for the Canada Border Services Agency, said Monday the case had come to his attention on Friday and he requested a two-week postponement so he can obtain copies of the four warrants and two production orders and to get instructions and discuss matters with the provincial Crown.

Provincial Court Judge Laurie Halfpenny-macquarrie, who replaced Judge Al Bégin for Monday's hearing, expressed her concern that the matter required greater urgency and granted the provincial and federal prosecutors a one-week postponement.

“Two weeks seems like a stretch to me, and I am going to give you less time than that,” she said.

But Halfpenny-macquarrie did agree that the federal Crown deserves some time to look over the warrants.

“In light of the fact we now have our federal colleagues joining us, we would like to liaise and consult with them upon their own review with respect to our position,” provincial Crown attorney Shauna Macdonald said.

Macdonald said her office is not agreeable to unsealing the warrants at this point and suggested the Crown would only be offering its position in the matter during next week's hearing.

Lawyer David Coles, who is representing a number of media outlets, including Saltwire Network, in the application, expressed concern on behalf of his clients that the case should be dealt with as expeditiously as possible.

Monday's hearing was held via a teleconference that also included a number of media representatives.

No reason was given as to why Bégin was replaced by Halfpenny-macquarrie.