Peter MacKay

[Canadian Navy, May 4th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, for the past 100 storied years our sailors have served in war and peace, on the seven seas and around the world. From the navy's creation in 1910 until today, it remains ready, aye, ready.

Canadians are celebrating this centennial in many ways. Our government is reinstating the executive curl on the naval officer's uniform and instituting a new sea service badge. Today, a centennial bell made from the senior services naval artifacts of the last 100 storied years rang out eight times in the other place. A centennial stamp was launched yesterday and a special coin and book will be released, celebrating the navy's special service and accomplishments.

I encourage all members and all Canadians to participate in the many public celebrations of our navy's proud history.

[Afghanistan, May 3rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, it is clear that there is plenty of information on the public record.

In fact, we heard last week from an important witness, arguably the most important witness from the Department of Foreign Affairs closest to the actual issue of detainees. He said on the issue of documents, “None of them contained specific information about facilities to which Canada was transferring detainees, and most importantly, in none of the messages did the embassy recommend substantive changes to the detainee policy”.

We act on the advice of individuals such as Mr. Gavin Buchan. Clearly, he had no such recommendation.

[Afghanistan, April 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we can talk about credibility. We can talk about support for the Canadian Forces. We can talk about support for Canada. However, I do not want to get into that argument with the member opposite.

What I do know is that the chief of the defence staff has given very credible evidence that suggests what happened on that fateful night is that there was an armed insurgent who was shot, and he was shot to protect the lives of Canadian Forces members who were involved in an operation. That is the evidence on the record. There will be an investigation.

The facts that we have heard have come from the mouth of a person no less credible than the chief of the defence staff, Walt Natynczyk. I will take his word over that of the member opposite.

[Afghanistan, April 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, here we go again. Despite the overblown, over torque rhetoric of the member opposite and despite his hyperventilating and his hyperbole, we have heard from credible witnesses, including, as I said, the former director at the Kandahar provincial reconstruction team, the person, by the way, who was there before Mr. Colvin and after Mr. Colvin. When asked the direct question, “Were you told that the detainee file was an issue when you took over?”, he said, “In July 2006 there was no reference to the detainee issue whatsoever”.

[Afghanistan, April 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that any documents in the possession of the Canadian Forces are in safe containers.

Interestingly enough, here is what Gavin Buchan, the former political director at the Kandahar provincial reconstruction team, had to say yesterday. I know it runs contrary to member's narrative, but he said, “I saw nothing in the record through March 2007 that indicated Canadian-transferred detainees were being abused, nothing that changed the baseline understanding from 2005 when the original arrangement was put in place.

That failed arrangement has been improved substantially by this government. I wish the hon. member would get his facts straight.

[Arctic Sovereignty, April 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Operation Nunalivut 10, the Canadian Forces' annual exercise in the high Arctic, was just completed.

Our Arctic Response Company Group and the Canadian Rangers tested new equipment and themselves as they demonstrated their capability in safeguarding our high Arctic.

During the exercise our search and rescue team saved the life of an Australian, Tom Smitheringale, from an ice floe, and we saw our CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft land for the first time on a gravel airstrip near Alert. A navy dive team conducted its longest underwater Arctic dive. The SAR techs parachuted in. Our troops trekked further north than ever before on the Arctic Ocean.

What an expedition. Great work—

[Afghanistan, April 27th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as has been repeated numerous times, the government is co-operating with the Military Police Complaints Commission. In fact, today we have evidence from respected Brigadier General Richard Blanchette, who said:

We know full well that Canada's enemies are ready to use that kind of information against our troops that are deployed there. That is why there have been certain delays in producing those documents.

That is very clear. I wish the hon. member would keep that in mind when he is asking for disclosure of some of these items.

[Afghanistan, April 23rd, 2010]

The answer is no, Mr. Speaker. We heard that from the Chief of Defence Staff who clearly told us that was not the case.

Here is what the respected former ambassador to Afghanistan said about this issue of transferring to torture, “we never transferred any detainees who were captured by the Canadian armed forces if there was any suggestion that there would be a substantial risk of torture”. He went on to say, “So we met and we exceeded our international obligations”. He also said, “Canada's standards, and the regime we've put in place, exceeded our obligations and were over and above those put in place by other countries”.

We have a lot to be proud of in that regard.

[Afghanistan, April 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I understand the response in both official languages. It is clear: the ambassador said that there was no evidence of torture.

I will repeat, “We were confident that based on information we had, no Canadian-transferred detainee had been abused or mistreated”. It is clear. It is on the record. We have heard this from a number of witnesses who were high-ranking officials in the public service, who were leaders in Afghanistan on the ground, all of the generals. All of those involved in the system took the necessary precautions and followed international law, unlike the member opposite.

[Afghanistan, April 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member must be tone deaf in both official languages. I just quoted from Mr. Sproule's testimony yesterday. He said, “No, it was not government policy. It was not the policy of the department of defence. It was not the policy” when it came to transfers to torture. He went on to say, “We never transferred any detainees that were captured by the Canadian armed forces if there was any suggestion that there was a substantial risk of torture”.

What could be more clear coming from an ambassador? The member ought to go back and read that testimony again and see if it sinks in this time.