The head of the Air India inquiry issued two subpoenas today to force the federal privacy commissioner and officials from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to testify.
Former Supreme Court justice John Major issued a subpoena for federal Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart to appear at the inquiry to answer questions about her views on airline security.
He said Stoddart's office willingly provided written material to inquiry officials but said that she had no additional information to offer.
However, last week, Stoddart gave a media interview in which she commented on her concern about the forthcoming federal no-fly list, created to block potential terrorists from boarding airplanes.
Major said Stoddart's "free-wheeling press interview" pertained to the very sort of information she should have been giving the inquiry.
Officials at the IATA, a commercial aviation industry association, had also only offered written materials to the inquiry, shying away from testifying in person.
However, IATA representatives then made comments recently to the media about air security.
Major said if both parties can speak out to the media then they should be ready to testify under oath. He said Stoddart and the IATA seemed unable to understand the functions or authority of a royal commission.
The inquiry, created to focus on the 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329 people, is also mandated to examine security reforms and identify where change is still needed.
With files from The Canadian Press
