Gordon O'Connor

[Afghanistan, May 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member said, let us do it again. This is an operational matter. We do not discuss the details of detainees.

However, during the Liberal regime there were detainees, and if the Liberals want to reveal that information, they can.

[Privilege, May 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising in response to the question of privilege raised by the hon. member for Mississauga South on April 26. The member suggested that I should have provided the information that was given to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on April 25 earlier that day in reply to oral questions or perhaps earlier in the week in reply to oral questions.

The member alleges:

—there appears to be some indication that the misinformation to the House may have been deliberate and in fact has breached my privileges and those of other members of Parliament.

I submit that there was no misinformation to the House and no privileges were breached.

On April 25, I was informed that military representatives of the Canadian Joint Task Force Afghanistan had made contact with the regional director of the National Directorate of Security in Kandahar province, General Quyaum. In that meeting the NDS provincial director informed our representatives that he agreed to provide Canadian officials full access to detainees transferred by the Canadian Forces without any caveats.

This arrangement was accepted by our representatives who subsequently inspected the detention facilities.

It has always been my intention to be open and transparent with Parliament and the public. During the question period of April 25, I responded to two questions: one requesting the cessation of the transfer of detainees and the other regarding the Strategic Advisory Team and its knowledge of the Afghan justice system. I answered both of these questions to the point and based on facts.

On leaving the chamber, I proceeded to my appearance the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. During my appearance I had the opportunity, in response to a question, to inform the committee that a new access arrangement was in the process of being struck.

I have not provided any misinformation to the House with respect to this matter and there is no evidence that any member's privileges have been breached. In fact, in the spirit of openness and transparency I informed Parliament of this news while it was in the development stages.

[National Defence, May 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, that was a pretty convoluted question. However, I think the member was asking about the Norad system.

The Norad system, as I said, is up and running at this moment, but a lot of money went under the bridge. Yes, it is nearly twice as expensive as originally planned, and this mismanagement was under the Liberals.

[National Defence, May 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Norad complex in North Bay is very important to the defence of Canada, and the initial stage of this redevelopment has been successful.

However, if the member really wants to know where the money was wasted, she had better check the years. It was wasted under Liberal rule.

[Afghanistan, May 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the numbers of prisoners and the details about prisoners are operational matters and are not revealed to the public.

However, if the previous Liberal government wants to admit how many prisoners it transferred, we are quite open to hear it.

[Afghanistan, April 25th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as the member previously said, the first casualty in these kinds of games is the truth, and he is the first casualty.

The military's strategic advisory team in Kabul is a team that advises on how to organize government and how to achieve objectives. It does not get involved in the justice system.

The other suspicion or suggestion the member is making is about cover-ups, and a cover-up means that the military is somehow involved in not identifying abuses. I reject this completely.

[Afghanistan, April 25th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, at the heart of all these questions is a suggestion that our military will knowingly hand prisoners over to torture. This is an aspersion on the Canadian Forces. Our Canadian Forces operate at the highest level of conduct and I stand by their actions.

[Afghanistan, April 24th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, our military commitment at this moment is to the end of February 2009. I do not know how many times I can say that but I will keep saying it as long as they keep asking.

[Afghanistan, April 24th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we are providing clarity. We support our troops and we support them in their mission and we will provide whatever they need to accomplish their mission.

Again, the military mission at the moment is committed to the end of February 2009.

[Afghanistan, April 24th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I will be as clear as I can. Our military commitment at the moment is to the end of February 2009.