Auditor General Sheila Fraser and two opposition parties are backing Justice John Gomery in his showdown with former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, The Globe and Mail reported Friday.

Earlier this week lawyers for Chretien requested the removal of Gomery from his role in the federal sponsorship inquiry -- the scandal that came to light after Fraser released her damning report.

But Fraser, the Bloc Quebecois and the Conservative Party are throwing their support behind Gomery and Fraser's lawyers have served notice that they will oppose Chretien's motion, The Globe reported.

A spokesperson for Fraser's office declined comment on the actions of the Office of the Auditor General.

Chretien and his lawyers argue that comments the judge has made prejudged the inquiry's findings before all the facts are in, and that he has failed to reassure them of his impartiality.

Meanwhile, the inquiry was complicated by yet another legal dispute.

Gomery has said he will take the federal government to court -- if he has to -- to access secret documents.

He was given some confidential cabinet papers, but some were edited to delete information the government claimed was irrelevant to the inquiry.

In a letter to the head of the civil service, Gomery said he would decide for himself what was relevant to the inquiry.

He wrote that he was in the "unsatisfying position of not being able to conduct an independent assessment of the relevancy of the documentation to which you have decided not to grant us access."

"I will therefore await your response to this further request to be granted access to cabinet confidences that you have satisfied yourself were not relevant to my mandate, before making a final decision as to whether or not the public interest would be better served by having the Federal Court make a decision," Gomery wrote.

The federal government's lawyer at the inquiry has received the letter and discussions are underway.