New Democrats Reject Conservatives' Deal On Afghani Documents

Harper still intent on hiding the truth about torture, says Layton

OTTAWA – New Democrats will not sign the Harper government’s latest proposal on access to Afghan detainee documents because it means Canadians will never learn the truth about torture in Afghanistan, says New Democrat Leader Jack Layton.

“The proposal denies the rights of Parliament, allows the government to hijack the process and doesn’t live up to spirit or terms of the Speaker’s ruling. The other parties were willing to accept compromises that we believe would prevent the truth from coming out. This is very much like the Blue Ribbon panel on EI that the Conservatives talked the Liberals into last June. And what happened there? Absolutely nothing. The Conservatives played the Liberals for dupes all summer long.”

In April, House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken ordered the government to negotiate an agreement with the opposition parties that would give them access to the documents. On May 14, the parties reached an agreement in principle. Since then, the government has been dragging its feet in negotiations on the terms of the document releases and insisting on conditions that New Democrats consider unacceptable.

The Conservatives’ latest proposal:

·       excludes legal documents and cabinet records from review, contrary to the intent of the Speaker’s ruling;

·       prohibits members of the documents review committee from reporting on stalling tactics or delays in collecting information;

·       allows a single member of the committee to refer all the documents to the panel of arbiters for review, tying up the process endlessly.

In the U.S., the Department of Justice advised President George Bush that he could ignore international law when it came to the torture of detainees. That advice was made public.

“But the agreement the Conservatives are proposing here would make that impossible.  We believe Canadians have a right to know who the government is listening to, and the arguments they are making,” said Mr. Layton. “The Conservatives want to conceal the truth about the Afghan detainee affair. The NDP will not participate in this dishonest charade. We now believe the only satisfactory path to obtaining the truth is through a full judicial inquiry.”

Defence Critic Jack Harris will move the attached motion in the House today.