Tories weigh Iraq options
Weekly caucus meeting hears details of possible bigger role against ISIL
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has dismissed suggestions that Canada is on the verge of “war,” as deliberations over an expanded military mission to help fight jihadists in Iraq were marked by caution and confusion Wednesday.
Conservative MPs and senators were presented with the need to tackle the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant at their weekly caucus meeting, and given an overview of possible Canadian military options.
While those in attendance wouldn’t provide specifics, their overriding mood was a desire to have Canada contribute to the fight against ISIL.
“Canada has, in my view, a moral obligation to join the civilized world to destroy ISIL and allow the millions and millions of people who ISIL has displaced to live full and productive lives in their home countries,” said Conservative MP Steven Fletcher.
But the question of a possible combat mission was being coloured by a range of factors, including the Canadian Forces’ capacity to participate and whether doing so would contribute to the objective of eliminating ISIL as a threat.
It was also evident that Prime Minister Stephen Harper touched on a key concern felt by many in his party this week when he said he didn’t want to drag Canada into a protracted conflict — a “quagmire” — in Iraq.
“I think our participation has to be helpful, has to be strategic — it has to be limited,” said Conservative MP Erin O’Toole, who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force for five years. “And then each time, it needs to be reviewed and renewed to see.”
O’Toole confirmed that airstrikes were “one option that’s being heavily considered,” and sources say the other options also revolve around how Canada can contribute to the U.S.-led bombing campaign against ISIL.
The U.S. has reportedly asked for CF-18 fighter jets as well as refuelling aircraft and surveillance planes to bolster the campaign, which already includes forces from a number of European and Arab countries.
In question period, Harper described the current international effort to combat ISIL as “a counterterrorism military operation” led by the United States in consultation with NATO and Arab allies.
The comment, which appeared to suggest a smaller scale and scope than a conventional conflict, came after NDP Leader Tom Mulcair asked how much Canadians would pay for “the prime minister’s war in Iraq.”
That prompted a rebuke from Harper, who said: “This is a very serious issue to throw around terms like the member just threw around.”
It became increasingly clear Wednesday that even if a plan for deploying Canadian forces into combat in Iraq is presented to Parliament in the next couple of days, MPs almost certainly won’t vote on it until next week.
That’s assuming the government does decide to deploy the Canadian military in a combat role; some suggested that wasn’t a foregone conclusion.
Canada has, in my view, a moral obligation …
“There could be no military role. There could be no vote,” said Conservative MP Brad Butt, who wants to see more humanitarian assistance from Canada and hasn’t yet decided whether a combat role is necessary.
Butt, who visited northern Iraq in August with the aid group One Free World International, said it will be up to the government to lay out the arguments for deploying Canadian forces in combat.
“I can’t tell you today that that’s the appropriate role for Canada,” he said. “But yes, it’s our job to make sure Canadians understand that if we’re going to escalate our involve- ment in any way, we lay it out.”
Conservatives suggested the government was simply doing its due diligence when asked why Canada was taking so long to decide on a course of action when many of its allies have already deployed warplanes and other forces to the region.
“We don’t always have to be first in,” Conservative MP and former Canadian fighter pilot Laurie Hawn said. “What we have to do is make sure that whatever we do is in concert with our allies and is in the best interests of Canada, long-term.”
Meanwhile, the government revealed that only 26 of the 69 military advisers Canada had pledged on an initial 30-day mission to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces in their fight against ISIL are actually in Iraq. That mission is set to expire on Saturday, though the government is expected to extend it.
Harper said the commitment was for up to 69 advisers, but the actual number on the ground depended on how many were needed.
But Mulcair, who had been pressing for details about the advisory mission for weeks, suggested the figure was emblematic of bigger problems with Canada’s involvement in Iraq.
Defence Minister Rob Nicholson also dodged questions about how much the 30-day mission is expected to cost, and instead reiterated the importance of “taking a stand against this terrible terrorist organization.”