THE CANADIAN PRESS

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TORONTO - Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says diplomat Richard Colvin had a right to make his explosive allegations about Afghan prisoners.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon speaks to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto, Monday, Nov.23, 2009. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says diplomat Richard Colvin had a right to make his explosive allegations about Afghan prisoners.

He says Colvin exercised his prerogative as a whistleblower by saying Ottawa ignored his warnings that Canadian soldiers were turning Afghan detainees over to torture.

At the same time, Cannon stuck to the Conservative government line that the allegations have not been proven.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has severely criticized Colvin, calling him a Taliban dupe.

Cannon now says the government will wait until a parliamentary committee has completed its investigation.

The minister also says the issue of prisoner detainees did not come up during his various discussions with Afghan and coalition colleagues in Kabul last week.