Liberals call for Iraq war updates

In a move designed to shed more light on Canada’s involvement in the latest Iraq war, the Liberals have requested that the government set up a special committee to provide details to Parliament and the public.

The proposal is based on the same type of committee used by Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney’s government to provide information to MPs about Canada’s involvement in the 1990-91 Gulf War.

A letter was sent Dec. 1 to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Defence Minister Rob Nicholson requesting the committee be established.

“We believe this would be a more transparent approach than the periodic briefings to the media after select operations,” wrote Liberal foreign affairs critic Marc Garneau and Liberal defence critic Joyce Murray.

The committee set up during the first Gulf War met five days a week to study that mission. The meetings were open to all MPs, the media and the public, Murray and Garneau noted. Either the defence minister or foreign affairs minister would appear at least once a week. Senior officials were available to appear as witnesses.

There’s growing concern among opposition MPs that much of Canada’s Iraq mission is cloaked in secrecy.

Nicholson has refused to publicly release the cost of the mission so far or any cost estimates the Canadian military has provided.

“We will report the exact cost for Operation Impact through existing parliamentary mechanisms, once they are finalized,” he has said.

Canada has sent six CF-18 fighter jets, two Aurora surveillance aircraft, a Polaris air-to-air refuelling plane and more than 600 military personnel to participate for six months in the U.S.-led bombing campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces.

Canada’s allies have been more forthcoming with details about anti-ISIL operations and costs, Murray said in an interview with the Citizen. “When the government is hiding things that other governments are talking about, then you have to question what their reasons are for doing that,” he said.

The Pentagon has estimated the cost of its operations against ISIL at around $8.3 million US per day. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says his country can expect to pay about $500 million each year.

Garneau said he has been told that the special committee set up for the first Gulf War worked well in providing information to MPs and the public.

Nicholson’s spokeswoman Johanna Quinney said the Conservatives have briefed news media and both Baird and Nicholson have appeared before a parliamentary committee to discuss the mission. “The government will continue keeping Canadians informed regarding the activities of our armed forces,” Quinney’s email said.