Opposition parties used their first question period of 2008 to batter the government on the Afghan detainees issue, with a focus on honesty and openness.
"Why did the prime minister hide the truth from Canadians?" Liberal Leader Stephane Dion asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday in the House of Commons.
"That allegation is completely false," Harper shot back.
The Canadian military stopped transferring prisoners to the Afghan authorities on Nov. 6, the day after an allegation of torture was identified.
Dion noted that Defence Minister Peter MacKay was in Afghanistan at the time and yet it took three months for the stoppage to become publicly known.
Harper said the government revealed there was "credible evidence of a particular case of abuse."
The information was revealed to a court last week "to show clearly that the Canadian Forces ... always respect our humanitarian and international obligations," he said in French.
Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff noted that on Nov. 22, MacKay told the House there was not a single proven instance of detainee abuse in Afghanistan.
Given that MacKay was in Kandahar when the abuse case surfaced on Nov. 5, "was the minister asleep, out of the loop, or did he knowingly withhold information from this House?" Ignatieff asked.
"What I said at this time was absolutely true," MacKay said, adding the detainee transfer agreement remains in place.
Under the enhanced May 2007 agreement, Canada has greater access to prisoners and can be more proactive, the minister said.
NDP Leader Jack Layton also focused on the detainee issue, as did Bloc Quebecois MP Claude Bachand.
Layton noted that U.S. authorities issued press releases on prisoner captures and transfers in Afghanistan. "Why is this government ... continuing to keep Canadians in the dark?" he said.
Because the transfer agreement with the Afghan government remains in place, there may be more transfers. "That's why the government hasn't announced there won't be transfers, because there could well be," Harper said.
He added if Canada were to follow the American model, it would be sending prisoners to the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"To be clear, that is not the policy of this government," Harper said.
The Manley panel
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe used his questions to ask Harper about the government's response to the Manley panel's recommendations on the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.
Harper said earlier he would be holding a vote on extending the mission, which is set to end in its current configuration on February 2009, sometime this spring.
There is a major NATO summit scheduled for April in Bucharest, Romania, at which the issue of more troops to help Canada in the insurgent hotbed of Kandahar province will be discussed.
"Will the prime minister act in a responsible manner and hold the vote on our mission before going to the summit?" Duceppe asked.
"This is a very important issue. I hope all parties in this House will take the time we need to consider the matter and make our decisions," Harper said.
Duceppe said Harper wants Canada to stay in Afghanistan at any price.
Harper said the mission's extension depends on getting additional troop from Canada's NATO allies.
The Liberals avoided the Manley report.
CTV's Graham Richardson told Newsnet that the Manley report -- Manley is a former Liberal cabinet minister -- puts the Liberals in a difficult position. Liberals want to end Canada's combat role in February 2009 while the Manley report recommends the combat part of the mission continue, but shift to increased training for Afghan soldiers and police.
None of the leaders asked questions about the economy despite the recent turmoil.
Some key other key issues likely arise during Parliament's first week back include:
- The firing of Nuclear Safety Commission chair Linda Keen; and
- The ongoing controversy over former prime minister Brian Mulroney's dealings with German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber.
A Jan. 14 Strategic Counsel poll for CTV and The Globe and Mail found party support breaks down as follows:
- Conservatives: 36 per cent
- Liberals: 30 per cent
- NDP: 14 per cent
- Bloc Quebecois: 11 per cent
- Greens: 10 per cent
For the Liberals, Bloc and Tories, those numbers are essentially the same as their popular vote share in the Jan. 6, 2006 federal election.
The NDP are down 3.5 percentage points from their election total of 17.5 per cent, and the Greens are up 5.5 percentage points from their election total of 4.5 per cent.