National Defence Censors Info on Future Costs of Afghanistan War

by albertacowpoke | June 22, 2009 at 04:11 pm

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In a significant policy shift, Canada's Department of National Defence censored an NDP request for disclosure of future costs of the Afghanistan War. Canada has been involved in the UN/NATO sanctioned war since 2002.

The Department quoted a threat to National Security when it censored the request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Last year the NDP asked for similar figures last year and DND released them. In April 2008 it was learned that the incremental costs of the war in Afganistan cost Canadians in excess of 1 Billion Dollars.

This year the military cited Section 15 of the Freedom of Information Act and blocked the figures.

The Minister of National Defence, Peter MacKay, stated that he did not make this decision.

Julie Jansen, the Director of the Military’s Access Branch, cited “the defence of Canada or any state allied” with it, in justifying the withholding of the figures for the next three fiscal years.

Canada ends it's Military Mission in Afghanistan in 2011.

OTTAWA -- In a significant policy shift, the Canadian government now believes that telling the country’s taxpayers the future cost of the war in Afghanistan would be a threat to national security, Canwest News Service has learned.

The Defence Department cited a national security exemption when it censored a request under Access to Information by the federal NDP for the military costs of Canada’s military participation in the NATO-led, United Nations-sanctioned military mission to Afghanistan.

When the NDP asked for the identical figures last year, the military made them public. Canwest News Service was able to disclose in April 2008 that the yearly incremental cost of the war would top $1-billion for the first time since Canada’s military became involved in Afghanistan in 2002.

But this year, military censors cited Section 15 of the act in blocking out the figure.