Gen. Rick Hillier answers questions from the Star's James Travers at the Toronto Reference Library on Nov. 19, 2009.
Retired general Rick Hillier refused today the credible reports of Afghan detainees have been tortured on hand for the local authorities by Canadian troops.
The denial by the Chief of Staff retired explosive counter defense evidence earlier diplomat Richard Colvin top warning repeatedly that officers high-ranking government and military in 2006 and 2007 of widespread torture.
"I saw nothing that would be called my attention," said Hillier parliamentary committee looking into the treatment of Afghan prisoners.
In his latest book The first soldier, Hillier called the allegations of torture as "crap" and the yellow journalism product.
Hillier their shoulder to shoulder with other senior military figures retired Lieutenant-General Michel Gauthier, who was the commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command in Afghanistan, General David Fraser, commander of the multinational force in southern provinces of Afghanistan in 2006.
It comes the defense staunch military and political detainees facing growing demand for a public inquiry in light of the irrefutable evidence Colvin last week.
Colvin, who was Deputy Head of mission in Kabul in 2006 and 2007 before moving to its current position in Washington, that, among other things, that detainees were tortured in prisons in Canada and Afghanistan were similar illegal transfer.
Hillier said the Committee's contention that all detainees were abused Colvin statement "ridiculous" based on "rumors" and reporting foundation.
Colvin of the many reports filed between May 2006 and October 2007 on allegations of torture of many senior government officials, including Margaret Bloodworth, national security adviser to the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Peter MacKay, now Minister Defense and the target of opposition attacks.
Amir Attaran, of Afghan detainees' rights advocate and University of Ottawa law professor, said earlier Hillier and others will never be admitted to specific examples of torture, as this could do to be in charge of war crimes .
But the truth is Attaran said the military arrested repeatedly on the transfer of prisoners to Afghan authorities speak of more than passing knowledge of abuse.
"What is especially hard on the decision of the Canadian Forces that is creating the risk again and again and again," he said.
"Trust me I have no reason for joy on the fact that Canadians could be in your dock war crimes."
While the three General, argued that there was nothing to support the allegations, the judge of the Federal Court in Ottawa, the hearing on application for injunction to stop the transfer of detainees in February 2008, said he received on the tortured before their alleged "real and very serious concern."
Gauthier said that transferring detainees were taken seriously and have been informed "every day" by staff members who knew he was the subject of "hot".
Gauthier said anything in any of the reports received from Colvin alerted staff in high risk of torture or torture.
And he said any recommendation that military commanders ignored or covered in the reports "are wrong."
Gauthier said he was "mortified" to listen to themselves and others "actually qualified as war criminals" on national television.
Meanwhile, the David Mulroney, a career bureaucrat who was the first point man for Canada in Afghanistan and now the Chinese ambassador to Canada, in Ottawa to protect its record against accusations of Colvin.
