Anti-ISIL mission likely to continue

General expects new blueprint for national defence to include an extension of mission in Iraq and Syria

OTTAWA — The commander of the Canadian Forces mission in Iraq and Syria says he expects the government to extend the operation past its scheduled expiry date at the end of the month.

Brig.-Gen. Dan MacIsaac said that he’s looking forward to seeing a renewed commitment of more than 800 military personnel in the international anti-terror coalition as part of Wednesday’s long-awaited defence policy review.

Details of that and other future foreign military deployments are expected to be unveiled when Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of the defence staff, release the government’s new blueprint for national defence.

The table for that defence review will be set in a major foreign policy speech Tuesday by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. That speech will affirm “multilateralism and rules-based international sys- tems, human rights, gender equality, the fight against climate change and economic benefits being shared by all,” the government said in a statement.

Freeland’s speech will be the Liberal government’s attempt to define its military, development, diplomatic and trade priorities, and how Canada plans to navigate a world order thrown into disarray by disruptive events such as the election of Donald Trump and the rise of anti-trade forces, sources say.

The speech is meant to serve as the “umbrella” for Wednesday’s defence review and the release of the international development review later this month, said a source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it was still a work in progress.

Wednesday’s defence review is expected to lay out the military’s priorities for future overseas deployments, and outline government’s 20-year plan for spending billions on military hardware to upgrade warships and fighter jets, among other things.

Sajjan has said the review will also dovetail with the government’s broader innovation agenda and will explain how the military will partner with the defence industry to create jobs by developing cutting-edge equipment.