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Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says he doesn't believe that the Conservative government did not know Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan had stopped transferring prisoners to Afghan authorities in early November.

That's because as opposition leader, Dion was made aware of the policy change during his visit to Afghanistan two weeks ago. He said if he knew, it's extremely doubtful that Canadian soldiers would have kept the Tory government in the dark about the issue.

On Thursday, the prime minister's communications director told Â鶹ӰÊÓ that the military did not inform the Tory government of the change in policy, a statement she retracted Friday following heavy criticism from opposition parties and reportedly from top military officials.

Dion said that when he heard that Sandra Buckler had said the Tories were not informed, "I knew that was a lie."

On Friday, Buckler told Â鶹ӰÊÓ she "misspoke" -- but she would not say whether the government was informed about the military's decision.

"I misspoke, I shouldn't have said it, I broke my own rule in speaking about operational matters in the military," Buckler told Â鶹ӰÊÓ in a phone interview.

When asked if this meant the military had informed the government about the policy change, Buckler would not confirm that.

"I will not speak about operational matters," she repeated.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not address the issue during a speech to supporters in Ottawa late Friday afternoon, although he did briefly mention the Manley report, which was released this week. Among several recommendations, the report by the blue ribbon panel called for the government to be more open with Canadians about the country's involvement in Afghanistan.

Harper did not say whether or not the Conservatives will follow its recommendations, which also called on Canada to press NATO for an additional 1,000 more troops for the mission.

Other Conservatives were also silent Friday about whether or not the military informed their top ministers about the change in policy -- but the Liberals say military officials were forthright with them.

Dion said that he and deputy leader Michael Ignatieff were informed that the military was not transferring prisoners to the Afghans when the pair visited Afghanistan earlier this month. Dion made the revelation when a reporter asked him directly if the military informed him of the policy change.

"Thank you for the question," Dion told the reporter, "Because this is one of the reasons why I never believed the story that (the Conservatives) were not aware. They had been informed of that, when we were in Afghanistan, the leader of the opposition had been informed of that."

The Liberals did not go public with the information -- which has now been made public in a court case -- because it was relayed at the time in a confidential briefing.

Although the Conservatives admitted Thursday that a change in policy had in fact taken place and federal lawyers have also said so in a court case, Defence Minister Peter MacKay accused Dion of being 'irresponsible' about speaking about the issue.

Critics said Friday that they are tired of the alleged Tory tactic of doubting the patriotism of anyone who questions the Conservative policies and actions when it comes to Afghanistan. In October and November, MacKay and other Tories suggested that those who raised the issue of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan were merely echoing Taliban propaganda.

Dion accused the Tories of only being interested in putting the best spin on a story that is an important political issue for Canadians. He said there are other reasons he doesn't believe that the military never informed the Tories.

"It's not credible for many reasons, but there is one I will mention right away," he said.

"The lawyer of the justice department was aware. The lawyer disclosed the information, so if the lawyer was aware, I guess the minister of justice was aware, and the prime minister was aware, too."

Justice Department lawyers revealed in a letter to human rights groups that the military stopped transferring prisoners to Afghan custody in early November -- after finding evidence of torture in an Afghan prison.

Back in November, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier had said Canadian officials were concerned about a Taliban prisoner who alleged that he was tortured, but he did not mention that Canada had already halted prisoner transfers.

On Thursday, the prime minister's communications director told reporters that that was because a Canadian colonel in Afghanistan made the decision and no one in the military told the government.

Critics said that was hard to believe, and blasted the Tories for misleading the House of Commons and misleading Canadians.

"I think there's been a complete lack of candour (by the Tories)," Bob Rae, the foreign affairs critic for the Liberals, told Â鶹ӰÊÓnet's Mike Duffy Live on Thursday.

"The government knew what the decisions were on the ground. They must have been informed about them."

Critics say it's especially difficult to believe that the military would not have told the government about the change in policy because the issue of prisoner transfers was at the centre of a political firestorm at the time.

As late as the end of October, the Conservative government had questioned and even denied news reports that some prisoners captured by Canadians and turned over to the Afghans were abused. They suggested that the reports were unsubstantiated and part of a Taliban strategy.

Opposition politicians also said the silence over the policy change is another reason the government's conduct in Afghanistan shouldn't be trusted.