Evidence of meeting #8 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 nds.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
So can you tell me what you went to Afghanistan to do in 2009? Is that a state secret?
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
As I said, the interviews we conducted were not the main reason for our presence in Afghanistan. We conducted the interviews at the request of the Canadian Forces, but the service's main role in Afghanistan is to support the mission, in other words, to gather intelligence to protect civilians and military personnel, and to alert us to potential threats from those operating in the region against Canada.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
You said your agents were there from 2002 to 2007. So I would like to know why you went back in 2009.
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Mr. Chair, I think I need to clarify something. We stopped conducting interviews with detainees in the custody of the Canadian Forces in 2007, but we were still in Afghanistan, and we continue to carry out our main mandate. We did not leave Afghanistan in 2007.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
That is correct.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Did you train or instruct your personnel, on the ground, on how to treat prisoners? Was that part of your role?
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
We do not give specific training on how to treat prisoners because that is not part of the service's role or mandate.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
At the request of the Canadian Forces, our agents conducted interviews for the specific purpose of verifying the identity of detainees.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Very well.
Could you describe the techniques you used to question the detainees?
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Once again, Mr. Chair, I feel that answering that question, which has to do with operations, could compromise national security, as well as the physical safety of our personnel in Afghanistan.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
I understand that.
Nonetheless, could you assure me that the techniques CSIS used to question prisoners respected Canadian laws?
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
As I mentioned in my opening remarks, Mr. Chair, all of CSIS's activities, both in Canada and elsewhere, must respect applicable laws, ministerial directives and internal policies.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
At one point, here on Parliament Hill, CSIS was accused of outsourcing torture to a certain extent. If I understand correctly, when you asked an uncooperative prisoner to comply and he did not, he was transferred by the Canadian Forces, not you. More specifically, was it a Canadian Forces commanding officer who transferred the prisoner to the NDS?
4:50 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
I am not familiar with the process that the Canadian Forces used to make the ultimate decision. I cannot answer that question, Mr. Chair.
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
How do you respond to those who say that CSIS outsourced the brutal questioning of prisoners to the NDS? Do you agree with that statement?
4:50 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Mr. Chair, I would say that those people are wrong.
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
You said you cannot say certain things without compromising national security. I would imagine that CSIS, like all of the organizations operating in Afghanistan, sent reports and emails on the work it was doing to people here in Canada.
4:50 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Yes, Mr. Chair.
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
You are also aware that a committee may be formed to examine all of those emails. Would you say that those emails and reports are completely consistent with your testimony today?
4:50 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
I personally did not review all the emails. However, the service is currently working with Mr. Iacobucci, and will cooperate to facilitate any process that may be put in place to examine the documents in question.
4:50 p.m.
Assistant Director, Foreign Collection, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
If, as part of his mandate, he requests documents that he needs for his review, we will provide them.
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
I have another question for you. Did the information exchanged between CSIS and other Canadian organizations respect information-sharing agreements and laws?