i would just like to know what's so secret about handing over detainees to the Afghans? It already appears that we did it on at least one occasion, realized he was being swatted with a shoe, and we went and got him back.
I say, if the government calls the inquiry, then the onus is on them to provide the documents that the committee needs to complete it's work. To me, it smacks of guilt, and they are hiding something, I haven't yet heard on what basis the documents were declared ''secret''.
Don't shoot the messanger, produce the documents to show the where the truth is with respect to his allegations. To vilify him suggests that he had an alterior motive in trying to discredit his employer.
He was good enough to get this difficult posting, but now he's so low he can play handball against a curb. (The Cretien government did the same thing to our Hong Kong diplomat Brian McAdam and the Sidewinder report)
The last thing I wsh to say, is that the government's hasty and aggresive vilification of Richard Colvin, who after all, was posted there by this government to be the #2 diplomat in a war zone, smacks of something other than the truth being presented to the Canadian public by the government.
Whatever happened to the 'whistleblower' protection program???
This may be part of a larger effort to discourage other civil servants from coming forward.
That's troubling if true ...
The question of handing over the captives to teh Afghans is a long standing policy of this and previous governments. There is an agreement between the govt's that outlines how where and why the captives should be turned over, and it dictates how the Afghans should treat prisoners that we turn over.
The issue is that some of the prisoners were mistreated. That in some posters view is a war crime in spite of the adherance to the letter of the geneva conventions on this issue.
When it was discovered that prisoners were mistreated they were recovered from the Afghans and no further transfers were done until the situation was clarified, and then transfers were continued. That is in accordance with the conventions.
Mr Colvins testimony before committee had no first hand evidence of mistreatment , all his testimony was in effect hearsay. Is he wrong about mistreatment or torture , probably not, at the same time can he point to somebody who was tortured or msitreated and provide before and after pictures, documented medical reports or even first hand knowledge? No he can not.
The issue becomes what diod the government know and when , In some posters minds the MOND is complicit in war crimes, with no proof beyond hearsay evidence that a cop or soldier of another country violated the agreement between countries and beat a prisoner. The fact he is the minister and should have known a national gove would allow the violation of a treaty.
The classification of documents is a process that is regulated by a standard framework of requirements, teh classification is based on what the document is. For example personal files are typically " classified" that is to say the files are one step above the restricted level and below secret.
The requirement to access classified documents is based on two things
First the security clearance of the person viewing the documents and second the need to know. Just because you have the clearance does not mean that you can walk into revenue canada and demand to see the tax returns of person or company A .
Military files specifically operational files typically have a secret clearance level , the reason for that can very to what is in the file to what the people or units in the file are doing to teh equipment being used. There are literally hundreds of reasons for the clasification.
Most M.P.s do not have the required security clearance to view these files and even if they did they could not disclose the contents in open committee or in the House of Commons or Senate, as those are open forums .
The issue of classifing documents to keep them away form opposition MPs has come up and there is a solution a number of Judges have Secret and Most Secret clearances, specifically to deal with immigration matters that have secret componants. One of those judges could view the documents in camera and issue a statement regarding the classification and if in his opinion it is warranted. If he decides it should be reduced it then can be reduced.
As far as whistle blower protection Mr Colvin has not been fired or reduced in rank due to his actions, the govt is paying his legal fees, so at present he does not need the protection , his profile on the issue at present is his best protection.