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The Harper Government staunchly defended its actions regarding Afghan detainees on Wednesday, insisting its ministers did not play a role in blocking access to a damning 2006 document warning of detainee abuse.
For the third day running, treatment of Afghan detainees dominated Question Period as the opposition called for Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor to be sacked and the transfer of detainees into Afghan hands to cease until their safety can be ensured.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mr. O'Connor and Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay were accused of deliberately misleading the nation on how much they knew about detainees being tortured or killed after being transferred to Afghan authorities.
A heavily-edited report published in The Globe and Mail says that the Canadian embassy in Kabul warned the Conservative government last year about Afghanistan's poor human-rights record and allegations of torture within that country's justice system.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper staunchly defended his government's actions on Afghan detainees on Wednesday. (CP)
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Mr. Harper insisted his government received no specific reports on possible abuse of Afghan detainees in Afghanistan.
After first denying the report existed, the government released it to the Globe through Access of Information with the damning elements removed. Mr. Harper and Mr. O'Connor have repeatedly told Commons that they were unaware that insurgents, captured by Canadians, were allegedly abused in Afghan jails.
Opposition parties yelled in anger during Wednesday's Question Period, accusing the government of a cover-up and repeatedly asking who ordered the report be edited.
“This government was told by their own officials that detainees face a high risk of torture and extra-judicial executions,” railed Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion.
“Why did the Prime Minister deny the fact he had received this damning report?”
Mr. Harper said the government had “no evidence of specific allegations” revealed by the Globe and Mail.
He also said ministers are not involved in Access to Information requests, and none of his ministers were involved in the edited release handed to the Globe.
“These decisions are made by government lawyers. They do not consult the government ministers. They act according to the law,” Mr. Harper said.
But for Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, that did not prove the government had a hand in the editing.
“They're your officials. You're responsible,” he called across the floor.
Mr. Harper said the document was an annual report produced for the Foreign Affairs Department that talks about the general state of the Afghan prison system.
New Democrats Leader Jack Layton said it proved the government was “very much aware of what was happening.”
“These documents don't come from the Taliban. These docs come from the department of foreign affairs,” Mr. Layton said.
“They specifically confirm extra-judicial executions, disappearances, torture and detention. Brushing off this [allegation] is not acceptable.”
Both Mr. Harper and Mr. O'Connor have been relying on the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to report potential violations, but that agency says it hasn't gained access to some prisoners.
With a report from Canadian Press.
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