MPs debate mission of Canadian advisers in Iraq
Stephen Harper confirms 69 advisers to Iraq ahead of MP debate
CBC's Kady O'Malley followed a lively debate in parliament Tuesday night, as MPs got a chance to put their thoughts on Canada's response to the conflict in Iraq on the official parliamentary record during an emergency debate in the House.
The special after-hours session, which did not include a vote, was triggered by a request submitted by Liberal foreign affairs critic Marc Garneau last week.
The debate got underway around 6:30 p.m. ET, and was expected to continue until midnight, depending on how many MPs want to speak.
Before the debate, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair did manage to get the government to reveal the scope of the current deployment — 69 special advisers — in a response by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in question period Tuesday.
But Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird later clarified in an interview with Evan Solomon, host of CBC News Network's Power & Politics, that Harper has authorized "up to" 69 advisers, but not all are in place yet.
Check out the tweets to get a sense of how the debate unfolded, how MPs reacted to the plan, and Canada's current efforts to combat terrorism and support those in need of humanitarian assistance as the conflict grows.