Thread by @Gray_Mackenzie

I'm watching the Federal Court hearing where Doug Ford and Sylvia Jones are fighting their summons to testify at the Public Order Emergency Commission looking into the use of the Emergencies Act. I'll tweet out some highlights #cdnpoli #ottnews

The lawyer representing Ford and Jones is arguing they have Parliamentary privileges allowing them not to be compelled to testify while the ON legislature is sitting, which gives them a “lawful excuse to not comply with the summons” from the POEC #cdnpoli #ottnews

The summons has put Ford and Jones in the “intolerable position of having to assert their privilege and potentially be faced with competed proceedings” as per their lawyer, adding that if they could face "irreparable harm" if a stay is not granted #cdnpoli #onpoli

The Ford + Jones lawyer says “a lot of the evidence can be sought elsewhere,” underscoring why he doesn't think they need to testify.

I tweeted out last week some of the core new info we learned involving Ford and Jones from earlier testimony #cdnpoli

Justice Fatherhill doesn't seem to be buying the Ford + Jones argument that they don't have relevant info to share with the POEC.

The lawyer says “a lot of the evidence can be sought elsewhere” and that the OPP has already given a bunch info #cdnpoli #onpoli

The Ontario lawyer says the commission discussed having informal interviews instead of testifying publicly but Ford and Jones declined.

Jones and Ford said they would give written answers but the commission said they wanted to interview them #cdnpoli #onpoli

Justice Simon Fothergill says Ford and Jones clearly “do have relevant information to offer” to the commission, shooting down one of the key Ontario arguments #cdnpoli #onpoli

A Ford + Jones lawyer says they "invoked their (parliamentary) privilege before the summons was sent" by the POEC and once they it was invoked, the POEC sent the summons

Fothergill wonders if privilege is being used as "shield rather than a sword to invalidate the summons"

Ford + Jones lawyers arguing there are two irreparable harms that would be impact in this case.

Harm to the separation of powers and to all parliamentary privilege

Harm to the members (MPPs, MPs, etc) themselves who rely on parliamentary privilege #cdnpoli #ottnews

The Ford + Jones hearing has turned pretty dry, with a lot of legal jargon that is well over my head.

One positive sign for Ford + Jones, Justice Fothergill has routinely said it's there is a well establish principle of using parliamentary privilege against a summons.