Ottawa

And the ITQ Awesome Department of the Week Award goes to …

PCO — yes, that PCO — for fulfilling one of ITQ’s most oft-muttered wishes with this not-quite-complete-but-getting-there online archive of commissions of inquiry past, from the 1981 MacDonald report on the state of the RCMP  to H.C. Cogston’s 1914 investigation into the decision to turn away  “300 Hindu passengers” of the Komagata Maru.

The Gomery report is there, of course — as well as a mirror of the now defunct commission website — but the PCO website also provides the sordid details on the underlying cause of  unrest in the asbestos mining industry in early 20th century Quebec, as well as the official findings on contradictory accounts of a spat between Agnes McPhail and the inspector of penitentiaries and the results of an investigation into “defalcations” at the Department of Militia and Defence.

It all makes for fascinating reading, no matter how dated or obscure the topic — so dig in! Feel free to share any noteworthy tidbits you find in the comments.

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