Bruce Carson was Harper's top adviser on Afghanistan

Carson was ‘Harper’s guy’ on Afghan file

Bruce Carson was the Prime Minister’s point man on Canada’s mission in Afghanistan and was provided sensitive information about the military mission despite his criminal record, the Star has learned.

Stephen Harper now says he never would have hired Carson had he known all the details of his criminal past.

But starting in 2007, Carson was a regular participant in daily telephone briefings on Afghanistan involving senior officials from departments such as foreign affairs, defence, RCMP, justice and corrections.

“It was evident to all the departments that he was the main player, Harper’s point man on the file,” said one source familiar with the briefings.

“He was given the most sensitive file to work on ... it’s not like he was working in the mailroom.”

While Harper has a national security adviser, it was left to Carson, chief policy analyst, to stickhandle the Afghan file on a daily basis. His focus was usually on how the mission was being communicated here in Canada rather than on developments in the field, the source said.