December 2005 — Then chief of defence staff Gen. Rick Hillier signs detainee transfer agreement with the Afghan government
May 2006 — Then defence minister Gordon O’Connor tells MPs the Red Cross is “responsible” for supervising prisoners and would tell Canada if there was “something wrong with their treatment”
February 2007 — First allegations emerge that prisoners might have been tortured. The Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) begins investigations into alleged mistreatment of Afghan detainees.
March 2007 — O’Connor apologizes for misleading MPs. The Red Cross is “under no obligation” to share information with Canada about the treatment of its detainees transferred to Afghan authorities.
May 2007 — Canada reaches a new agreement to allow closer monitoring of Afghan detainees after newspaper articles detail allegations of torture.
November 2007 — Canadian officials uncover “credible” evidence a Taliban detainee transferred by Canadian Forces was mistreated while in detention.
October 2009 — Diplomat Richard Colvin’s affidavit reveals he warned of “serious, imminent and alarming” threats as early as May 2006. Government lawyers had tried to quash his testimony
— A special committee on Afghanistan decides to study allegations detainees were abused.
November 2009 — Colvin testifies likely all Afghan detainees handed over were tortured. He says he sent Ottawa many warnings but was told by senior officials to be quiet and use the phone instead of putting information down on paper.
— Hillier slams Colvin’s testimony as “ludicrous” and says there were no credible reports of torture.
December 2009 — MPs vote to hold a judicial inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees. The government refuses.
— The MPCC loses an appeal to the Federal Court to expand the scope of its investigation. The commission halted public hearings in October to launch the appeal.
– Gen. Walt Natynczyk, chief of defence staff, admits testimony he gave a day before was “incorrect” and says an Afghan detained by Canadians was beaten by Afghan police.
— Defence Minister Peter MacKay refuses calls for his resignation. MacKay and O’Connor tell MPs they did nothing wrong.
