Inside Politics

UPDATED - InquiryWatch: Okay, so the NDP, Norm Spector and the Liberals are in. Who else?

by Kady O'Malley Posted: November 19, 2009 1:25 PM Last Updated: November 19, 2009 2:21 PM
We still don't know whether the Liberals will echo the NDP's demand for a full public inquiry into the transfer of Afghan detainees, but while we're waiting to see if this will become an opposition-wide campaign, here's what the inimitable Norman Spector had to say on the subject -- before the NDP had made its pitch, even: 

It's important to remember that this is not the first time serious allegations have been made against members of the Canadian Forces. In fact, in the so-called Somalia affair of 1993, the allegations were more serious; namely, that Canadian soldiers themselves had beaten and shot Somali civilians in the back, and that they were directly responsible for the death of Shidane Arone. Nor, is it the first time that a cover up by very senior people has been alleged. In fact, in that latter case, it could be said that the cover-up reached the highest levels of government after Jean Chrétien shut down the Commission of Inquiry before it could complete its hearings.


There's still much that we don't know after hearing Mr. Colvin's allegations. For example, though names of some very senior officials were mentioned, we haven't heard their side of the story; nor do we know whether the cover-up extended to the political level. If it did, we don't know when/whether the Prime Minister was informed, and, if he wasn't informed, why not. Nor do we know why Mr. Colvin did not blow the whistle earlier, while the torture was still taking place and he was being rebuffed by very senior officials. None of these questions is likely to be answered without taking testimony under oath in a public inquiry, which is what the opposition parties should now be pushing for. 

It's not difficult to see why some Liberals might be uncomfortable with the idea of a full investigation into Canada's policy and practice on detainee transfers, as even the most limited terms of reference would almost certainly include the years prior to 2006, when it was their party in power. Several former Liberal cabinet ministers are already slated to testify before the Afghanistan committee, after all. 

Anyway, given the likelihood that a more wide-ranging inquiry would inevitably put the spotlight on the actions of previous governments, this may be an interesting test for the new DonOLO. I'll keep you posted, and update this post when and if a definitive position emerges. 

UPDATE: Less than an hour after I posted the foregoing, Bob Rae rose in the House to demand a full public inquiry. I guess that wasn't so hard after all, was it? 

Tags: afghan detainees, blackberry jungle, inquirywatch