Archives

Categories

My vote for Canadian Newsmaker of the year (and other related items)

If I had a vote for that (and yes, why don’t we also make it for Canadian Of The Year as suggested here), it would be without a doubt cast for Canadian diplomat/intelligence officer Richard Colvin. His brave decision to testify (in the face of Conservative government threats to the public service not to cooperate [...]

Yet another Conservative Colvin talking point debunked.

Some more great investigative reporting by the Ottawa Citizen exposing the Conservative government’s (and it’s allies in the media) talking points as pure bunk:

There have… been allegations about the extent of Colvin’s travels in Afghanistan. Retired general Lewis MacKenzie said recently on CTV that based on information “from a very reliable source, (Colvin) was not [...]

The moral of the story is, Christie Blatchford..

…if you’re going to go after someone and try to discredit their testimony, at least make sure your attacks are accurate before you put them to print:

Comments released to a parliamentary committee this week about Afghanistan’s Khandahar prison that the facility seemed “to be in reasonably good condition” and that inmates got “enough food” were [...]

More evidence of this government’s negligence on the detainee issue

More and more documents leaking out that incriminate the Conservative government on the detainees issue and how they didn’t want anything to do with them:

Canada’s top two commanders in Afghanistan in spring 2006 told investigators the government pressured them to transfer detainees to Afghan authorities faster than they felt was appropriate, CBC News has learned. [...]

More Afghan detainee documents - this time unredacted..

These unredacted documents were obtained by the Canadian Press. Courtesy of Aaron Wherry at Macleans, they don’t exactly help the government’s case:

The International Red Cross met twice with senior Canadian officials in Kandahar to deliver veiled but insistent warnings about torture in Afghan jails a year before Canada acted to protect detainees. Details of the [...]

No excuses for not holding a public inquiry or releasing the unredacted Colvin memos.

Let’s presume for a minute that there are “state secrets” in Richard Colvin’s memos that would harm Canadian national security (a big presumption with this government – anxious to discredit Colvin’s testimony – but like I said, let’s do it for a minute). Is that enough reason to withhold them? James Traver says nope, that’s [...]

Another poll shows overwhelming support for Colvin; majority want public inquiry.

Hat tip to Steve V over at Far and Wide for seeing this poll, taken on November 24/25:

49% find Richard Colvin’s testimony credible; 10% side with federal government ministers.

As Steve said, that’s a ratio of 5-1 of people polled who believe Colvin’s testimony over the government’s official version of “no credible evidence”. That’s even [...]

Will Ms. Joya face the same attacks on her as Richard Colvin?

It’s what this government does best when threatened with a view contrary to the spin they wish to put out. It’s possible however that in the case of Ms Joya, MacKay and company will probably just dismiss this as more “second-hand information” and try not to go over the top with their rebuttals. You never [...]

Verbal semantics used to justify ignoring Colvin's reports?

A couple of other bloggers have already mentioned this, but it’s worth repeating. Did the Generals testimony yesterday really refute Colvin that strongly?

Look at what one of Colvin’s redacted reports say, courtesy of Boris over at The Galloping Beaver:

From Richard Colvin’s reports beginning in May 2006 :

3. Of the XXX detainees we interviewed XXX said [...]

Canadians believe Colvin, reject torture – poll (PS: Join the Facebook group demanding a public inquiry)

It appears the furious attacks on Richard Colvin’s testimony – and the man’s reputation – has backfired on the Conservatives:

Canadians aren’t buying the Harper government’s assertion that there’s no credible evidence Afghan detainees were tortured, a new poll suggests…Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they believe Colvin’s testimony to the committee last week. In stark [...]

unique visitors since the change to this site domain on Nov 12, 2008.