OTTAWA - The foreign affairs minister says the legal bills of a Canadian diplomat, who has warned of possible torture in Afghan jails, will be paid but "under the appropriate circumstances."
Lawrence Cannon faced Opposition questions in the House of Commons on Tuesday about the federal government's refusal to pay the initial invoices until his lawyer discloses to the Justice Department who she has been talking with in relation to the case.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also waded into the debate Tuesday, denying that anyone was singling out Richard Colvin, who indicated he has information for the Military Police Complaints Commission investigation into prison torture.
"There is policy in place that covers Mr. Colvin, that covers the legal bills of any public servant. And the rules are no different for Mr. Colvin than they are for any other public servant," Harper told the Commons.
The Foreign Affairs Department gave preliminary approval to Colvin's request to use an independent lawyer in September, but indicated earlier this month that it wouldn't pay the first set of bills until his lawyer discloses her "accounts" to federal officials -- information that could be shared with Justice Department lawyers.
A spokeswoman for Cannon said late Tuesday that the government was simply looking for an itemized invoice that included "the time expended on providing the services and a generic description of what was done."
Natalie Sarafian denied that "this type of information would reveal anything privileged."
In a letter to the military police commission, Colvin's lawyer, Lori Bokenfohr, said the type of information the government was asking for in "several email exchanges" amounted to a detailed breakdown of who she had been talking with and required her to breach solicitor-client privilege.
Bokenfohr, who's based in Calgary, refused to comment on Tuesday.
NDP Leader Jack Layton said he's not convinced the government has backed off and that it is just parsing words in order to intimidate Colvin.
"I think there is a whole cloud of doubt over this," the NDP leader said. "It's clear the government doesn't want truth to come out and we think that's wrong."
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said he'll take the government at its word for the moment.
"If the minister says the expenses will be paid, then presumably the expenses will be paid," Rae said after question period.
Bloc Quebecois defence critic Claude Bachand says the Tory government is trying to prevent Colvin from telling the military police inquiry what he knows about the possible torture of Afghan prisoners.
In mid-2006, Colvin, who was among Canada's more senior diplomats in Afghanistan, warned Ottawa that prisoners faced the possibility of torture in Kandahar jails.
Despite that, senior federal ministers denied ever seeing his report.
The documents have been kept under a blanket of national security, but in an affidavit filed with the Military Police Complaints Commission, Colvin stated he was "alarmed" enough to flag the issue to at least 76 people and agencies within the Foreign Affairs and Defence departments.
Colvin was subpoenaed to testify before a public inquiry involving the military police commission.
When he signalled his intention to co-operate with investigators, federal lawyer invoked Section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act, which would prohibits him from answering questions.
