Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I was Minister of National Defence from February 6, 2006, to August 14, 2007. During that time, my primary focus was to implement the new government defence policy, especially with respect to equipment and infrastructure. With the support of my cabinet colleagues, I was able to commit a historical level of funding to start the rebuilding of our naval, land, and air forces. This involved the acquisition of equipment such as strategic and tactical airlift, medium to heavy helicopters, tanks, howitzers, armoured combat vehicles, armoured trucks, improvised explosive device road-clearing vehicles, personal equipment, Arctic patrol vessels, and joint support ships. It also involved the upgrade of the armoured personnel carrier fleet, the frigates, and the submarines, as well as infrastructure.
During my time as minister, military operations in Afghanistan were extremely intense. Shortly after we took responsibility for Kandahar province, the Taliban challenged our military by trying to encircle Kandahar City. They amassed their fighters in the area and engaged in conventional-style attacks. Our troops took them on and defeated all their attacks. The Taliban suffered large numbers of casualties and learned that they could not fight the Canadians in a straight-on battle and hope to win. They had to give up their goal of seizing the city of Kandahar and reverted to harassing our forces by using improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers.
To support our troops, our government accelerated equipment deliveries and provided new capabilities that helped them fight the insurgency. While I focused on rebuilding the Canadian Forces, each day I received a briefing on current operations and intelligence, and normally the primary item of these briefings was Afghanistan. In general terms, I was advised of what was happening, what was being planned, and whether we had any detainees. With respect to detainees, I was usually informed of their state of health, whether they were getting medical care, and how long we anticipated detaining them. I believe that NATO had asked that we transfer detainees to the Afghan authorities within 96 hours of capture, subject to their specific medical needs.
Our military has responsibility for the supervision of detainees from the moment they are detained up until the point at which they are transferred from the detention site at Kandahar to Afghan authorities. During my time as minister, I do not recall ever being advised of any abuse or torture of prisoners by Canadian Forces members or any abuse or torture of detainees that they handed over to the Afghan authorities.
The members of the Canadian Forces are professional and ethical. Their military operations are guided by the rules of war, and each soldier is instructed to treat all detainees to the standard of humane treatment as set out in the Geneva Convention. I find it outrageous that members of the opposition go on and on in the House of Commons talking about a cover-up of abuse and torture. In effect, what they are saying is that the government and Canadian Forces are in some form of collusion on abuse and torture. But for this fallacy to occur, up to eight levels of the army would have to be involved through three or four rotations. This involves thousands of people. This would be the cover-up of all cover-ups and is a premise that simply goes beyond common sense. The opposition may not like how we are conducting this war, and that is their right, but to in effect accuse the government and the entire chain of command of the military of a cover-up is irresponsible.
I visited the troops in Afghanistan four times while I was minister, and during my third visit I visited the Afghan prison in Kandahar. I was accompanied by a few Canadian military and civilians, one of whom was from the Correctional Service of Canada. The prison had three categories of prisoners: political, criminal, and youth.
Seeing the prison first-hand was like stepping back in time. It was medieval-looking, with stone culverts on each side of the main access. I asked to look in cells at random, and their prison cells held many prisoners and were very grubby. I went into areas that housed political and criminal prisoners. I also asked to see the guards' quarters, which, to my surprise, were no better, except that they did not have locked doors. At no time did any Canadian accompanying me or any inmate make any accusation of abuse or torture. In fact, during my four visits to Kandahar and three visits to Kabul, I do not recall anyone, military or civilian, ever mentioning the abuse or torture of prisoners. And during my time as minister, I do not recall ever reading correspondence from Mr. Colvin.
I'm very proud of our government's achievement during my time as Minister of National Defence, and I was honoured to lead the department with such high-quality servicemen and servicewomen, as well as dedicated public servants.
In Afghanistan, the performance of our troops has been magnificent. They have defeated and disrupted Taliban activities since arriving in the province in 2006. They have helped deliver aid and reconstruction to the local communities and have trained and mentored large numbers of Afghan soldiers.
Without a doubt, we have the very best army, soldier for soldier, in the world. Because of their bravery and their commitment to the mission, they have suffered many casualties. They have offered and continue to offer all that a country can ask of them, and I thank them for their sacrifice on our behalf.
In closing, I want to say that as a current member of the government and a former Minister of National Defence, I am proud of what we have already done and continue to do in Afghanistan. Further, military operations in Afghanistan have been conducted in accordance with international laws, and there's no evidence whatsoever of the involvement of our troops in the abuse or torture of detainees or the condoning of any theoretical abuses by Afghan authorities. I do not recall ever having been advised, as minister, of any involvement of our troops in participating in or enabling abuse or torture of detainees, and I find the effort to claim a government-military cover-up of abuse and torture of Taliban detainees the lowest form of politics.
Thank you very much.