MONTREAL - A man who spent months at the hands of Al Qaeda captors has set the Liberal policy renewal conference abuzz by warning the party it risks "losing its soul" in its quest for power.

Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler delivered a barn-burning speech Sunday morning that blasted Liberal foreign policy, which he accused of being beholden to special interests.

"I believe the Liberal party has to a certain extent lost its way, at least in policy terms... and is danger of losing its soul," he said.

"I have the impression that they will endorse anything and everything which might return them to power."

If Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff didn't appreciate Fowler's frankness, he didn't let it be known, at least publicly.

Ignatieff approached him after the speech, shaking his hand warmly and thanking him for "something this party needed to hear."

"I am very grateful to you," Ignatieff said.

But Fowler, who is a United Nations special envoy to Niger, didn't limit his criticism to the Liberals. He charged the Conservative government had also let domestic political gains guide its international involvement.

He cited its support for Israel as having comprised the country's ability to be a trusted moderator in the Middle East.

"The scramble to lock up the Jewish vote in Canada meant selling out our widely admired and long-established reputation for fairness and justice," Fowler said.

He argued that Canadian foreign policy needs a stronger focus on Africa, where the country once boasted of a host of successes.

Much of the money spent in Afghanistan, Fowler said, would be better spent in Africa, where instability also poses a threat to the West.

"The bottom line is that we will not prevail in Afghanistan," he said.

"We are simply not prepared to foot the massive price in blood and treasure which it would take to effectively colonize Afghanistan...and replace their culture with ours, for that seems to be what we seek."

Fowler was kidnapped in 2008 by Islamist extremists in the Sahara desert and held captive for several months.

Before launching into his broadside, Fowler prefaced his remarks by noting he owes his release last year to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

He acknowledged that his blunt remarks "may not sound like a terrific way to express my appreciation for the fact I'm alive."