Canada will send military advisers to Iraq to help fight against ISIS but the NDP says a parliamentary debate is needed to avoid 'mission creep'
The Security Council has been unable to agree on a new resolution authorizing military action. Canada worked very hard to find a compromise to bridge the gap in the Security Council, unfortunately we were not successful. If military action proceeds without the new resolution of the Security Council Canada will not participate.Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, 2003, when he indicated to the House of Commons that Canada would sit out the war in Iraq.
More than a decade later and in the face of a very different sort of threat -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will send up to 100 members of the Armed Forces to Iraq to advise Kurdish troops on how to defeat ISIS.
The Liberal Party supports the non-combat mission ... but the New Democratic Party does not ... at least not yet. The NDP wants a Parliamentary debate and vote on what kind of military role, if any, Canada should play in Iraq.
Jack Harris is the NDP MP from St. John's East and the Official Opposition Critic for National Defence.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, speaks to a family of refugees during a visit to a internal
displaced persons camp in Erbil, Iraq. (CP/Ryan Remiorz)
• ISIS in Iraq: John Baird dismisses fears of 'mission creep' for advisers -- CBC News
We requested an interview with Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird and Minister of Defence Rob Nicholson but neither they, nor their parliamentary secretaries, was available.
The government says opposition parties are free to use one of their Opposition Days in the House debate the issue if they wish. On the weekend, Minister Baird spoke with the CBC's Evan Solomon about the decision to send military advisers to Iraq:
What we're seeing in Iraq and in Syria is the new face of terrorism in the 21st century; this is the great struggle of our generation. What you have here is an international terrorist organization wanting to take over a large swath of territory. Not just the territory that they've got, their desire to recreate a caliphate going from southern Spain to India. The values that they're pressing are against Western Civilization and obviously it's in all of our interest not to allow them to have a foothold where they can launch attacks from the West, things like we've seen on 9/11 or elsewhere.Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird on CBC Radio's The House this past Saturday.
For their thoughts on the kind of discussions Canada should have before taking on missions such as the one in Iraq, we were joined by three guests:
Thomas Walkom is a National Affairs columnist for the Toronto Star.
Janice Stein is the Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.
Ferry de Kerckhove is Executive Vice President of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute - a security think tank in Ottawa.
Have thoughts you want to share? Does Canada need a debate on our role in Iraq?
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This segment was produced by The Current's Sujata Berry, Josh Bloch and Kristin Nelson.