Canada’s Afghan detainee crisis
What impact could the release of information on possible detainee torture have?
Canada’s military operations in Afghanistan have caused bitter political divisions within the country ever since troops were deployed there in 2002.
The latest chapter is the standoff between the opposition and the Conservative government over access to uncensored documents about the treatment of Afghan detainees.
A Canadian parliamentary committee is investigating allegations that Canadian authorities knew prisoners in Afghanistan were tortured after they were transferred to Afghan custody.
For months, the federal government resisted the opposition’s demand to see the complete documents related to those accusations.
Instead, Ottawa presented a censored copy, saying the release of sensitive information would compromise national security.
In a historic ruling last week, the speaker of the lower house of parliament called on all parties to find a solution within two weeks that would balance national security concerns with parliament’s right to examine the material.
| JOIN THE DEBATE |
On Tuesday’s Riz Khan show we ask: What impact could the release of information on possible detainee torture in Afghanistan have on Canada’s mission to that country?
Will it also trigger a political crisis in Ottawa?
Joining the discussion will be Bob Rae, a prominent member of parliament from the opposition Liberal Party, Mercedes Stephenson, a political commentator who specialises in Canadian defence and security matters, and Shuvaloy Majumdar, who spent time in Afghanistan as part of democracy building initiatives led by the US. He now works for a non-partisan Washington, DC-based organisation that promotes democracy worldwide.
Anand Naidoo sits in for Riz Khan.
This episode of the Riz Khan show aired from Tuesday, May 4, 2010.