OTTAWA - History will face off against national security in a court battle over decades-old intelligence files on socialist icon Tommy Douglas.
The case pits the right of Canadians to see historically significant information against the government's determination to protect the secrets of the spy trade.
Arguments are to be heard Wednesday in Federal Court.
The Canadian Press is challenging the government's refusal to fully disclose the 1,142-page RCMP dossier on Douglas.
Initially, Library and Archives Canada released only 456 heavily censored pages, saying fuller disclosure would jeopardize the country's ability to detect, prevent or suppress "subversive" activities.
It released another batch last week, but roughly one-third of the pages are blank while others are heavily blacked out.
The uncensored material shows RCMP security officers shadowed Douglas from the late 1930s until at least 1981, showing particular interest in his links to the peace movement and Communist party members.
The former Saskatchewan premier and federal NDP leader is widely hailed as the father of medicare.
