Is the government right to pull Canada's jets out of the fight against ISIS?

Sunday on Cross Country Checkup: fighting ISIS

The Trudeau government has made good on its promise to pull Canada's fighter jets out of the battle against ISIS. Instead, the Liberals are boosting humanitarian aid and putting more boots on the ground. What do you think of the plan?

Last week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada's new policy on the fight against ISIS. From now on there will be no more airstrikes by Canadian fighter jets. Instead, Canada will boost humanitarian aid and put more resources into training for Kurdish soldiers fighting against ISIS, increasing the number of military trainers from 69 to almost 200. The Liberals have promised a total of more than $1.6 billion over the next three years towards this new approach.

The Conservatives say the government is shirking Canada's responsibility. But the NDP say it is a move into deeper and more dangerous involvement.

Canada's military role in the conflict in Syria and Iraq has always been a small one. But this announcement comes in the midst of intensified fighting both on the ground and in the air over Syria and Iraq. And in the past weeks there are allegations that Russia has starting bombing civilian targets in Syria, including hospitals.

There have been many attempts made by international leaders to bring a ceasefire and an end to the five-year civil war in Syria.

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a "provisional agreement" for a ceasefire. Kerry said he spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss terms and the two now must reach out to the parties in the conflict.

In the past, attempts to reach a ceasefire agreement have failed. What are the chances that this one will work?

Some Canadians say we shouldn't get involved in the conflict in Syria at all due to the extreme complexities in the region. What do you think?

Our question: "Is the government right to pull Canada's jets out of the fight against ISIS?"