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Kristofer Baker

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Afghanistan, Canadian military, Rick Hillier

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The Canadian Government has made major strides in Afghanistan, particularly with the handling of detainees, says former chief of defense staff Rick Hillier.

Hillier made the comment Thursday while presenting his memoir, A Soldier First,  to more than 100 people at the Toronto Reference Library.

The former general discussed the changing role of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. He said the federal government’s treatment of detainees in Afghanistan has improved over the past five years.

For example, he claimed the controversial handover of prisoners that raised so many hackles on Parliament Hill went according to protocol.

“I’m not in the business of patting governments on the back,” Hillier said. “But I think the government of Canada has actually handled this in a pretty responsible manner.”

Toronto Star journalist James Travers asked Hillier why he never acknowledged abuse of detainees, despite concerns of its possibility raised in the former general’s latest book.

Hillier said he was not aware of his troops handing detainees over face abuse at the hands of Afghan authorities when he commanded the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the country.

He said it is impossible to prevent at least some form of mishandling prisoners in time of war, no matter how much effort the military spends to stop it from happening.

Confusion surrounds the federal inquiry and Canadians need to let the review proceed before drawing conclusions, he said.

“I think the perception is completely different from the reality,” he said. “I think there’s a lot more discussion to come out and actually I wish it would just be handled in a mature and responsible manner.”

Hillier wrapped up the tense session on a positive note, praising the current state of the mission in Afghanistan. He referred to the Canadian military as “the best-trained force in the world.”

The majority of the audience received Hillier well. Some complimented his work during a short period of comments from the audience. When he left the podium, the crowd shot up in a standing ovation.

More than half the audience stood in line to recieve his autograph shortly after the discussion.