[LINK] "Canadians not buying government denial of claims Afghan detainees tortured: Poll"

[rfmcdonald]

Imagine that.

Canadians aren't buying the Harper government's assertion that there's no credible evidence Afghan detainees were tortured, a new poll suggests.

Indeed, The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey indicates Canadians are twice as likely to believe whistleblower Richard Colvin's claim that all prisoners handed over by Canadian soldiers to Afghan authorities were likely abused and that government officials were well aware of the problem.

The poll findings come just as the government is mounting a major counter-offensive to rebut the explosive testimony of Colvin, the former No. 2 at the Canadian embassy in Kabul and now an intelligence officer at the embassy in Washington.

Rick Hillier, the former chief of defence staff, and several other top military officials are scheduled to testify later today at a Commons committee that is investigating the torture claims.

Hillier has already said there was always concern about the treatment of prisoners transferred to Afghan prisons but that he doesn't remember the kind of "smoking gun" warnings Colvin says he repeatedly issued.

Hillier has his work cut out for him to convince Canadians, the poll suggests.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they believe Colvin's testimony to the committee last week.

In stark contrast, only 25 per cent said they believe the government's contention that the diplomat's claims are flimsy and not credible.

A majority in all regions - except Alberta where 41 per cent believed Colvin and 35 per cent the government - sided with the whistleblower.

Those who identified themselves as supporters of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives were most inclined to give the government the benefit of the doubt. But even they were almost evenly split.