OTTAWA, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Canada opposes torture but will use information obtained through its use if it helps ward off a threat to national security, officials say.
"Our government does not condone torture and certainly does not engage in [it]," Mike Mueller, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, told QMI Agency. "However, at all times we will take steps to ensure Canadian life and property is protected from those who wish to harm us."
The Toronto Sun reported Saturday the statement came after word got out that a secret committee within the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was being better-equipped to assess information received from foreign agencies and to determine whether sharing intelligence with other bodies could lead to mistreatment of individuals abroad.
The newspaper said Amnesty International, the Civil Liberties Association and others contend the directive goes against Canada's obligation under international law to prevent the torture or mistreatment of prisoners.
