Evidence of meeting #5 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 know.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
I worked with him. He was training the ANA.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
About who?
4:15 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
As I said, in the military there's a chain of command. If you speak to a person and he says that's not his chain of command, I'm not wasting my time going to someone who cannot do anything or cannot provide any help. I was talking to those who could do something about it.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Thank you.
So you talked about the chain of command. You also said that everybody in the chain of command knew. If you're talking to this level in the chain of command, how do you know that this level in the chain of command knows? How do you know that?
4:15 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
When you speak to a person like Menard...he was my boss. He was my chain of command. His chain of command was Major Desjardins. Major Desjardins' boss was Lieutenant-Commander Weinhoff. Weinhoff's commander was somebody else. So that's how the chain of command--
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Trust me, I understand chain of command. How do you know what they said to the higher level in the chain of command?
4:15 p.m.
Counsel to Ahmadshah Malgarai, As an Individual
Can you please let the witness finish his answer?
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Counsel to Ahmadshah Malgarai, As an Individual
I am his counsel, and I will not allow you to interrupt him in the middle of an answer.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
You may not speak to the committee.
It's a direct question. How do you know what somebody in the chain of command said to somebody else in the chain of command? How do you know?
4:15 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
My job was to let my chain of command know, and his job was to let his chain of command know.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
How do you know what he said to his level in the chain of command? You don't know.
April 14th, 2010 / 4:20 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
I was concerned with what I was concerned with and what I told to my chain of command.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
You don't know.
Did you ever have a conversation with Minister MacKay?
4:20 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
Not about this, but yes, I did meet him more than two times.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
4:20 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
He was not my chain of command.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
How can you say what the MND knows or doesn't know? How can you categorically say that the minister knows?
4:20 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
He denied that he knew anything. All I am asking is that he sit across from me, look in my eyes, and tell me that he doesn't know. That's all I ask.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
I will share my time with my colleague, Mr. Rae.
Let me call you Pacha. It's easier.
You said that you may have translated this document. You have read the names on the document. You know this document is dated October 2007.
There was the discovery in November 2007 of the electrical wire that people were allegedly beaten with at the NDS facility. Do you know the name of the person who was actually the detainee who pointed out that piece of evidence?
4:20 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
I can't say for sure that I translated these documents, but I've translated over 40 documents similar to this one.
I don't know the name of the person who was found electrocuted. It might very well be one of these guys, because you're telling me the date is October 30, 2007. It might be one of those persons, but I don't know the name of the person.
