Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has replaced the governor of volatile Kandahar province.
Asadullah Khalid will be replaced by Rahmatullah Raufi, the former chief of the Afghan National Army in five provinces, including Kandahar.
In April, in one of the most memorable gaffes of his tenure in cabinet, Canada's then-foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier told Karzai he should replace Khalid.
During the meeting with Karzai in Kabul, Bernier said Khalid was holding up Canadian aid intended for humanitarian assistance and that he was a corrupt governor -- a major faux pas for a foreign affairs minister.
Bernier also told reporters that Karzai would have to decide whether Khalid was the right person for the job. Bernier's officials immediately called the statement a mistake and said Afghanistan's government appointments are its own business.
CTV's Chief Political Correspondent Craig Oliver said Bernier was likely repeating a belief that was widely-held among NATO diplomats and officials in Afghanistan -- one that he had probably been briefed on while visiting the country.
"There will be a great sigh of relief in NATO circles that Khalid will be gone," Oliver told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
While Khalid had close ties to the Afghan police, his replacement comes from more of a military background, Oliver said.
"The army particularly is what's important because NATO diplomats and NATO officials have all complained bitterly about the corruption of the Afghan police and Mr. Khalid was particularly tied to the police," Oliver said.
"Perhaps this means a larger role for the Afghan army in the Kandahar area rather than the police who really have a bad reputation."
