Poll finds majority also believes the government misled them on detainees
Canadians just aren’t buying the federal government’s claims Afghan detainees weren’t tortured. The vast majority believe that prisoners handed over to Afghan authorities by the Canadian military were in fact mistreated—this, despite recent testimony to the contrary by top military officers like Rick Hillier, Canada’s former chief of defense staff. What’s more, most Canadians say the government intentionally misled them. The EKOS poll shows that 83 per cent think Ottawa was aware of the high potential for abuse before they handed over detainees. And only 24 per cent of Canadians say they are satisfied with the government’s overall transparency and disclosure regarding the later allegations of torture.