The Conservative government is firing back in the three-month-old debate over Canada's transfer policy for Afghan detainees.
In a flyer that will be delivered to households this week, the Tories take aim at Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and other Liberal MPs for their handling of the detainee issue.
"Canadians know that our men and women in uniform are serving around the world with honour and distinction," the flyer reads. "Why are Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party suggesting otherwise?"
The leaflet was designed to tell Canadians "that the opposition parties are calling into question the conduct of Canadian forces," Conservative MP Peter Braid said on CTV News Channel's Power Play.
But opposition parties sharply criticized the flyers, saying they misrepresent their views and sidestep the central issue. Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae called the latest Tory flyers "poisonous."
He said no one in the House of Commons has ever called into question the integrity of the Canadian Forces, and said the real issue is the integrity of the government.
"Nobody is suggesting that Canadian forces have done something wrong. That's not the issue," Rae said. "The issue is the conduct of our government. That's a perfectly legitimate question -- and if people can't see the distinction between that, then they're reducing politics to a really low level."
Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois members of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee demanded to see uncensored records on Afghan prisoner transfers last fall. The Tories refused, citing security concerns.
The committee was investigating allegations that Afghan detainees handed over by Canadian soldiers were later tortured by Afghan authorities. But the committee was dissolved when Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament at the end of December.
While Parliament Hill stands shuttered, the Conservatives and the opposition parties continue to trade barbs over the detainee issue.
Paul Dewar, the NDP foreign affairs critic, noted that the prisoner transfer agreements were negotiated by bureaucrats in Ottawa, not by "the men and women in the field" in Afghanistan.
"The question is, why is this government running away from accountability and not being transparent?" Dewar asked.
Unofficial committee hearing
Earlier on Wednesday, opposition members tried to continue investigating the Afghan detainee issue by forming an unofficial committee and questioning experts, including Colonel (ret.) Michel Drapeau and constitutional law professor Errol Mendes.
"I think what this committee, and what all Canadians should focus on is whether the government is knowingly acting in an unconstitutional manner and daring this Parliament, the opposition and Canadians to do anything about it -- just as they're daring Canadians to do anything about it with the prorogation," Mendes said.
"The refusal to give those documents is the equivalent of a refusal to obey a judicial subpoena," he added.
Since Parliament has been prorogued, no Conservative members attended the meetings, which the Tories dismiss as a publicity stunt, said CTV's parliamentary correspondent Roger Smith.
"This is part of the opposition's ploy over the last week to show they're working on Parliament Hill when the Conservatives aren't, after proroguing the House," Smith said. "The Liberals have had round tables, news conferences every day since last Monday."
Because the events are not official meetings, no decisions will be made and little new information is expected to be released, Smith said.
The committee can't summon witnesses who don't want to appear, and doesn't have the power to demand the production of government documents.
Most Conservative MPs have been spending time in their constituencies since Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut down Parliament on Dec. 30.
Parliament won't resume until after the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
The PMO said Parliament was prorogued in order to consult with stakeholders, businesses and ordinary Canadians on economic issues and challenges that lie ahead.
