Evidence of meeting #2 for Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was documents.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Thank you for that.
When did you first hear of allegations of abuse of Afghan detainees?
4 p.m.
Legal Counsel, Amnesty International
The first time was April 21 or April 22 of 2007, when an exposé by Graeme Smith appeared in The Globe and Mail.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Did you not hear of any allegations prior to that date?
4 p.m.
Legal Counsel, Amnesty International
We were not aware of any specific allegations prior to that date, no.
4 p.m.
Legal Counsel, Amnesty International
Not that they didn't occur. We later learned of allegations that occurred prior to that. But up until April 2007, we had no information on that.
4 p.m.
Conservative
4 p.m.
Conservative
4 p.m.
Legal Counsel, Amnesty International
I'm not aware of any specifically in 2005, but definitely in 2006.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Okay.
The Government of Canada began to negotiate a transfer agreement with Afghanistan in early 2005.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Let's say May or June of 2005. And yet they didn't conclude an agreement until December of 2005.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Okay. And you're familiar, I assume, with that agreement.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Okay, and the earlier drafts. So that was under the authority of the previous government, as you know.
In your professional opinion, was that agreement sufficient to protect the interests of Afghan detainees?
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
How did it compare with the British and Dutch agreements that were also struck around the same time?
4 p.m.
Legal Counsel, Amnesty International
The most significant or glaring difference was with respect to access to detainees, a right of access to visit detainees once they have been transferred. That was the primary difference.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Right. So that occurred in 2005, and the British and the Dutch, who were all part of the same allied forces--
4 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
--had that protection. The Government of Canada did not put that protection in.