Sajjan backtracks over Afghan detainees
EDMONTON • Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is walking back comments he made to the ethics commissioner about his personal knowledge of the handling of Afghan detainees after being accused of “downplaying” his role in the process.
Ethics commissioner Mary Dawson wrote on Tuesday that Sajjan may have downplayed his role and knowledge of the handling of Afghan detainees when he denied any involvement whatsoever with such prisoners.
On Wednesday, Sajjan insisted he was not involved in the detainee process when he was deployed in Afghanistan but did not deny “any knowledge relating to the matter,” as he had previously said to Dawson.
“I had contacts with the governor and many other officials like many ( personnel) of the Canadian Armed Forces during that time. I made it very clear that I did and I’ve also made it very clear that I was not involved in the detainee process,” said Sajjan, at a news conference in Edmonton.
“There were many con- tacts with the governor and with future governors within that province.”
Dawson does not see any reason to find Sajjan in a conflict of interest for his refusal to open an inquiry into detainee abuse.
Dawson’s finding was relayed in a letter Tuesday to Craig Scott, a law professor and former NDP MP. Scott and others have been pushing for a public inquiry into the abuse of Afghan detainees.
A similar letter was sent to NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, who had written to Dawson questioning the “credibility” of the minister.
Scott had argued that Sajjan’s work in the Canadian Forces, which included setting the stage for the killing or capture of Afghan insurgents, was enough to disqualify him from making the decision against such an inquiry.
Sajjan originally told Daw- son he was never involved with detainees.
Sajjan had to apologize in May for falsely claiming he was the “architect” of the Canadian- l ed Operation Medusa, a major battle in 2006 against the Taliban. Conservative MPs have also questioned Sajjan’s claim that allies didn’t object when Canada withdrew its CF-18s from Iraq. The Conservatives have obtained government documents that indicated otherwise.
Dawson’s letter on Tuesday is the result of complaints filed by Scott. The ethics commissioner determined in February that Sajjan wasn’t in a conflict on the detainee issue. She pointed out the minister had told her that he was a reservist involved in policing and had no knowledge of information about the transfer of Afghan detainees.