Public Safety committee  Why John Williams, one of our colleagues in the House of Commons, was also on the American no-fly list, as was Senator Edward Kennedy? Why the singer Cat Stevens -- I do not know his Islamic name; I liked his music a lot when I was young...

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to detainee handling in Afghanistan: (a) at what time was Canada first granted formal access to Afghan monitor detention facilities in Kandahar; (b) how many Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) officers were in Kandahar in August 2005, and what was the number for each month since; (c) did CSC direct their officers to specifically monitor detainees taken by Canadians and held in Afghan custody, and, if so, what form did that direction take; (d) what type of investigation was begun by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces following the publishing of reports of torture in the Globe and Mail on Monday, April 23, 2007, and when was it commenced; (e) what is the number of detainees transferred to Afghan custody since the signing of the December 18, 2005, “Arrangement for the Transfer of Detainees Between the Canadian Forces and the Ministry of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”; (f) following the processing of transfer documents and the release of a detainee to Afghan authorities, how are National Defence Headquarters, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and the Minister of National Defence informed of this transfer respectively; (g) when was information about the Department of Foreign Affairs country reports, starting in 2002, describing torture and inhumane treatment in Afghan prisons as “common”, first released outside of the Department and when were i) the current and previous Foreign Affairs Ministers made aware, ii) the current and previous Defence Ministers made aware, iii) the current and previous Prime Ministers made aware; (h) when were negotiations begun on the arrangement for monitoring access announced by the Minister of National Defence on Wednesday April 25, 2007, and i) when were negotiations concluded, ii) when was the CDS made aware of the arrangement, iii) when was the Minister of Foreign Affairs made aware of the arrangement, iv) when was the Prime Minister made aware of the arrangement; (i) what monitoring and capacity building has taken place on the part of the Government of Canada with respect to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC); and (j) what has the AIHRC reported to Canadian officials regarding the condition of prisons and prisoners in Kandahar, and what have they reported regarding the treatment of detainees transferred by Canada to Afghan custody?

Foreign Affairs committee  What I find is the support for the Taliban in southern Afghanistan is not ideological. It's not about Islam, anti-westernism, or culture; sometimes it's phrased in those terms, but it is fundamentally very practical. It is that people want a predictable life, one in which they know what the rules are and what they will be punished for and what they will be rewarded for.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I remind you that this 400-page report, which was tabled by Colin Powell in 2004 and then by Condoleezza Rice last year, increased the funding to Cuban civil society organizations to the level of $40 million, without defining what civil society is. This is done openly. Try to imagine the Iranian government or some Islamic organization deciding to openly finance a Canadian political party, to the tune of millions of dollars, with the objective of furthering the cause of Arab or Taliban rights. It would really be terrible.

Foreign Affairs  Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I am tabling consent to table copies of a document entitled “Arrangement for the Transfer of Detainees Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”. I am tabling this in both official languages.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  If Canada were to arrest people funded by the Government of Iran, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia for having caused a transition from a peaceful democracy to an Islamic republic, how would we deal with those people? Many organizations that defend human rights would describe the people arrested using security certificates as political prisoners. Should other countries then put an end to their economic or government relations with Canada?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Imagine if tomorrow morning Canada found out that Saudi Arabia or the government of Iran or Pakistan were paying Canadians four or five times the minimum wage to help Canada make a peaceful and democratic transition to an Islamic regime because those countries feel that our monarchy is obsolete. I think that the Canadian government would not stand for it. This is exactly what is happening in Cuba. People caught receiving $200 or $300 a month—I already mentioned the cost of living in Cuba—have been jailed.

Business of Supply  I would like to quote from a very good report done by James Laxer, in the “Mission of Folly”, where he says: The war in Afghanistan, like the struggle in Iraq, is doing more to promote the cause of terrorism throughout the Islamic world than it is doing to win the so-called War on Terror. The argument made by some that to advocate withdrawal is appeasement and that we have a choice between fighting this enemy in Asia or on our own doorstep is a completely phony one.

Business of Supply  The reason we are committed to that mission in southern Afghanistan is because it is important for the stability of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the government that President Karzai is heading. It is very important that we remain engaged in that theatre to ensure the stability of that government. Beyond that date, our government has also indicated that we have taken no decisions.

Business of Supply  However, there have not been convincing arguments to suggest how this move would enhance the stability of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and thereby contribute to the Karzai government's goals of establishing a civil society and a government that will be able to control all parts of the country, so that we do not have the return of an unstable regime that will foster radical groups that may come back to harm our interests here in Canada.

Business of Supply  I do not think it has made the case as to how withdrawing troops from southern Afghanistan would actually enhance the stability of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Business of Supply  If that were to happen, if the Dutch, the British, the Americans, the Germans, all members in the multinational force, were to completely withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, as proposed by the New Democratic Party, the Karzai government would collapse tomorrow, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan would collapse tomorrow and in its place we would have a government that would not be favourable to Canada's interests, a government much like the Taliban that was in there prior to 2001, a government that would act as a safe harbour for radical elements that would later come back to attack targets throughout the world and attack innocent civilians.

Business of Supply  If we were to withdraw our troops completely from Afghanistan, if the Dutch, the Americans, the British, and all the other multinational forces over there were to completely withdraw from Afghanistan, tomorrow the Karzai government would fall. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan would cease to exist, the government would fall and the Taliban would be back in power tomorrow. That would be the consequence of a unilateral withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan.

Foreign Affairs committee  In fact, the Taliban is made up of a vast array of people each having their own interpretation of Islam. This does not mean that every Taliban has the same perception of the situation or looked for the same things. So, in certain regions, the former Taliban who have since become governors are accomplishing extraordinary work.

Foreign Affairs committee  They have very good reason not to like foreigners. One of the points my colleague made on Islamic countries.... There are tremendous rivalries among these countries and groups within these countries, and I'm not sure the Afghans would welcome other people from other countries. There are questions about NATO, of course, and what NATO is doing.