MPs vote to support expanded ISIL mission
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives used their majority in the House of Commons Monday evening to pass a motion in support of a deeper military mission in the Middle East. Members of Parliament voted 142-129 in favour of the government’s plan to extend the mission by another year, and to bomb the Islamic State (ISIL) in Syria, in addition to Iraq.
The vote came after a debate in the Commons that was divided along party lines and which also provided a taste of the political rhetoric that Canadians will hear in the upcoming election campaign.
The governing Tories called on all MPs to back the new mission to provide “moral clarity” to Canada’s plan to “degrade” ISIL until it no longer poses a threat to Canada and the world.
But opposition leaders have been highly critical, arguing that the government has neither made the case for an expanded mission nor identified an “exit strategy,” and that there are better ways — such as humanitarian assistance — for Canada to help out in the region.
MPs from the NDP, Liberals and Green party opposed the motion and cast their votes against it Monday evening. But the Tories, who have had a majority in the House since the 2011 election, had the power to pass the motion.
Former Liberal MP Scott Andrews, now sitting as an Independent following his expulsion from caucus over allegations of sexual harassment, broke ranks with his former party and voted with the Conservatives in favour.
After the vote, Harper released a written statement in which he reiterated his government’s plan.
“We cannot stand on the sidelines while ISIL continues to promote terrorism in Canada as well as against our allies and partners, nor can we allow ISIL to have a safe haven in Syria.”
Senior cabinet ministers such as Defence Minister Jason Kenney, Justice Minister Peter MacKay and Treasury Board President Tony Clement spoke in the final hours of debate in favour of the mission.
Earlier in the day, Harper spoke about the mission at a news conference in southern Ontario.
He said ISIL “represents a serious threat to this country” and must be “degraded.”
In the past few months, he said, ISIL’s strength has been diminished in Iraq, but “there’s more to be done” against it in Syria.
“I would hope we will continue to degrade this organization so that its capacity to strike outside of the region continues to diminish. I’m not going to put a timeline on that. But obviously this is of great concern to our five dozen allies who are there as well. We’re all committed to getting it done.”
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said the mission violates international law because Canada doesn’t have the consent of Syria to drop bombs in that country.
“The very foundation of this House, the foundation of everything we do here, is prescribed by law,” said Mulcair. “To abandon the law so recklessly for the sake of political expediency, as the prime minister is eager to do, threatens the very principles we were sent here to defend.”
He said the airstrikes in Syria, which is ravaged by civil war, “implicates” this country in that conflict and “could suck Canada into decades of conflict.”
Mulcair warned that Canada’s airstrikes will not work because you “can’t bomb ISIL and its ideology into oblivion.”
He added it could backfire if civilians are killed and ISIL uses that as a “recruitment tool.”
“The prime minister is intent on sleepwalking Canada into this war and he’s misleading Canadians to get his way.”
In his speech, Trudeau said the Liberals believe Canada has a “role” to play in the crisis — but that it does not include combat.
He said the government should put more emphasis on humanitarian aid and immediately work to accept 25,000 more refugees.
The problem with the military mission, he said, is that it is illconceived and could get Canada into a long-term quagmire.
“In Afghanistan, the longer term meant 10 years, not 12 months,” said Trudeau. “We cannot allow rhetorical appeals to ‘moral clarity’ to disguise the absence of a plan.”
Trudeau said Canada should work with other countries to “starve” ISIL of its financial resources, urge the Iraqi government to continue political reforms, and work with communities here in Canada to reduce the risk of radicalization among youths.
“In a situation as complex and volatile as the one the world faces in Syria and Iraq, we must not allow our outrage to cloud our judgment.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson, who introduced the controversial motion last week, issued a written statement Monday before the debate among MPs wound down.
He said that for more than six months, Canadians have witnessed ISIL’s “brutality” as it commits “horrifying acts of persecution against innocent civilians, minorities and women.”
Nicholson said that Canada and its military allies cannot allow ISIL and its “affiliates” to have a “safe haven” — which is why Canadian planes need to bomb the group as it retreats into Syria.
Mulcair and Trudeau have both called on the government for a legal justification of why Canada is bombing Syria without the consent of its government.
Harper has said Canada is taking this action because Iraq is asking for protection from ISIL, which is launching its attacks from Syria.
Mulcair and Trudeau have also expressed concern that by bombing ISIL targets in Syria, Canada could end up helping that country’s dictator, Bashar Assad, whose regime is widely condemned for brutal tactics that include torture and widespread killing in the fouryear-old civil war.
The new mission could have political ramifications as Canadians prepare for an election scheduled for Oct. 19. The Conservatives appear to want to put anti-terrorism at the forefront, and while the opposition parties hope to run on issues such as the economy, their clear opposition to the new Middle East military mission will further crystallize the issue for voters.
When Parliament voted on the last motion in support of a mission, it was to authorize a six-month plan in support of airstrikes over just Iraq.
Since last fall, Canada’s mission has included six CF-18 fighter jets, two surveillance planes, an aerial tanker, and 69 Canadian soldiers on the ground in Iraq who have trained Kurdish-Iraqi forces.
The government says the new mission will not require any additional planes and personnel.
When the prime minister unveiled the new plan last week, Mulcair said Canada is entering a war that has not been endorsed by the United Nations or NATO.
Trudeau said the “vague and endless” mission is not in Canada’s national interest. “Beyond our concerns about dubious alliances, the government’s desire to expand Canada’s presence into Syria represents a worrying trend,” Trudeau told MPs last week.