Defence minister and military at odds on use of G-wagons
OTTAWA — Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor assured Canadians in May that the military was restricting its G-wagons to the Canadian compound in Kandahar, after the lightly armoured vehicles proved highly vulnerable to roadside attacks in Afghanistan.
But newly released records indicate the minister's announcement came as a surprise to military commanders, who had imposed no such restrictions and continue to use G-wagons in dangerous convoys.
“It has come to our attention that a statement by the MND (minister of National Defence) . . . regarding G-wagons was not correct,” says an internal e-mail to the minister's office, the day after the May 30 announcement.
The minister “indicated that in the future we are going to limit nearly all the G-wagons to the camp, with some exceptions. However, this is not the case. . . . Please advise the MND not to repeat that statement as G-wagons will continue to operate outside the camp,” public affairs official Aarin Bronson warned.
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