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When the Conservatives were asked, during question period, when they knew about the case Noonan reported, Government House leader Peter Van Loan said the Opposition should drop the issue. 
Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla heavily criticized Van Loan's sentiment that the Liberals were somehow opposed to Canada's troops. |
Updated Fri. May. 4 2007 6:28 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The controversy surrounding Canada's prisoner handover agreement with Afghanistan gained new momentum Friday with word that a senior military officer is contradicting Ottawa's position it received no specific reports of abuse.
In the past two weeks, at least five cabinet ministers have maintained that Canadian officials had received no "specific" reports of abuse against Taliban detainees after they were handed over.
The Toronto Star says Col. Steve Noonan, a former Canadian commander in Afghanistan, has signed a sworn statement indicating one case of abuse was clearly documented by Canadian forces.
Noonan said soldiers were so disturbed by the abuse they observed, that they demanded to have the prisoner returned.
Noonan's statement is reportedly part of a lawsuit by Amnesty International.
All three opposition parties have been united in their criticism of the deal, accusing the Conservatives of intentionally misleading Canadians.
Those accusations have stemmed mainly from an apparent lack of communication among the government, with contradictory reports about whether or not officials had received reports of abuse taking place.
This week, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day confirmed correctional officers in Afghanistan had received two reports of prisoners that had been abused after they were handed over.
Meanwhile, Canada has signed a re-written prisoner-transfer agreement with Afghanistan that will allow greater access to the detainees they turn over to the Afghans.
The Conservative government has been on the defensive after allegations surfaced that detainees were tortured after being released from Canadian care.
When the Conservatives were asked, during question period, when they knew about the case Noonan reported, Government House leader Peter Van Loan said the Opposition should drop the issue.
"Our brave troops are fighting to bring peace, security and human rights to the war-torn land," he said.
"We've got an excellent agreement in place. It's time for the Opposition to get on side with our troops, our good fighting men and women in the field, and support the good work they're doing."
Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla heavily criticized Van Loan's sentiment that the Liberals were somehow opposed to Canada's troops.
"It's not only offensive for the government to be characterizing Liberals in this sickening manner, it's also extremely insulting," she told CTV's Mike Duffy Live.
"We as Liberals do support the tremendous work and contributions that our brave men and women are doing abroad in Afghanistan. But I can tell you it's been a week of chaos, of confusion and of coverup for the Conservatives."
Among provisions of the new deal is a guarantee that captured fighters can be interviewed in private without the intimidating presence of their Afghan jailers.
Ottawa negotiated the deal despite insisting that the allegations of torture were false.
"What we have done is enhance the 2005 agreement -- that is exactly what people were calling for," said Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International's legal proceedings were reportedly put on hold when the new agreement was signed, so that it could examine the new details.
However, the efforts were again underway after Amnesty examined the re-written agreement and said it still wasn't adequate and wouldn't prevent abuse.
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