Supreme Court to scrutinize media source protection in Quebec case

OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada will help decide whether a Radio-Canada journalist must reveal her sources for stories about a high-profile corruption investigation.

The court agreed Thursday to hear Marie-Maude Denis’s challenge of a Quebec Superior Court ruling that she divulge the identities.

Marc-Yvan Cote, one of the accused in the criminal probe, asked a judge to halt proceedings against him, alleging that agents of the state had leaked information that would compromise the fairness of his trial.

In March, the Superior Court authorized the disclosure of Denis’s sources, and she was unsuccessful in appealing the decision.

The Supreme Court hearing will delve into legal questions surrounding protection of journalistic sources and freedom of expression in the context of police investigations.

As usual, the Supreme Court gave no reason for agreeing to hear the case and no hearing date has been set.