Mr. Speaker, a second army doctor, Major Lee Jewer, has also stated that Canadian military authorities ordered the photos of Somalis beaten and tortured by Canadian peacekeepers to be destroyed. This confirms the statement made by Major Murray Armstrong
to the effect that military authorities had indeed ordered the destruction of incriminating evidence.
These new revelations demonstrate once again that the government must appoint, as soon as possible, a real commission of inquiry. If the Minister of National Defence really wants to shed light on the behaviour of Canadian military personnel in Somalia, he must take such action as quickly as possible, rather than wait for the conclusion of the current judicial proceedings. If this is not done, some important evidence will be missing, including incriminating photos, the existence of which is known.
The minister must reconsider his decision.