Prime Minister Stephen Harper ignored the opposition's calls on Tuesday to end Afghan prisoner transfers, saying the prisoners' claims of torture must be investigated to see if they are true.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in question period that the Afghan prisoners' claims of torture must be investigated to see if they are true. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in question period that the Afghan prisoners' claims of torture must be investigated to see if they are true.
(CBC)

Thirty Afghan prisoners have claimed they were beaten, whipped, starved and frozen after the Canadian military handed them over to Afghan security forces.

"I think what's disgraceful is to simply accept the allegations of what some Taliban suspects say at face value," Harper said in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon. "That's not appropriate."

The allegations of abuse, published in the Globe and Mail on Monday, have sparked two days of debate on Parliament Hill. On Monday, opposition MPs demanded Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor resign over the report, while on Tuesday they were demanding that the prisoner transfers end immediately.

Liberal Michael Ignatieff kicked off Tuesday's debate, saying he can't believe, in light of the allegations, the Canadian government hasn't instructed the military to stop handing prisoners over to the Afghan forces.

"So the transfers go on," Ignatieff said. "Once again, it's unacceptable. This government's handling of the whole affair has been disgraceful … The honour of Canada is at stake."

'So the transfers go on,' Liberal Michael Ignatieff said. 'Once again, it's unacceptable. This government's handling of the whole affair has been disgraceful … The honour of Canada is at stake.' 'So the transfers go on,' Liberal Michael Ignatieff said. 'Once again, it's unacceptable. This government's handling of the whole affair has been disgraceful … The honour of Canada is at stake.'
(CBC)
Harper said the Canadian government and the military are in regular contact with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and other Afghan agencies to discuss the treatment of prisoners.

If these groups report torture, the government will act on those reports, Harper said.

"But we are not, at the moment, being told of any problems," he said. "Obviously if there are such problems, we will act."

Rights agency unable to monitor detainees: opposition

NDP, Bloc Québécois and Liberal MPs also seized on the fact that the Conservative government relies on the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to monitor the condition of prisoners once they are handed over to Afghan forces.

MPs pointed out that media reports show the human rights commission has little power or authority. The organization has told reporters in the past month that it has few staff to monitor prisoners, and staff are sometimes denied access to Kandahar-area prisons.

"This is ridiculous," Ignatieff said. "The Afghan commission has only seven staff and no access to the prisons."

In February, the Canadian military signed an agreement with the human rights commission stating the commission will monitor transferred detainees on Canada's behalf. The agreement is an extension of a December 2005 treaty between Canada and Afghanistan that allows for prisoner transfers to take place.

Earlier Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said Canada will urge the Afghan government to ensure human rights are respected in its prisons.

"It's important to insist that the Afghan government respects all people, even prisoners," he said at a news conference in Quebec City.

"It's not going as quickly as we would like, but we see some progress."

With files from the Canadian Press