Prime Minister Stephen Harper has laid out his case for Canada to renew its participation in the coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The prime minister is proposing to expand and extend Canada's initial six-month military mission in Iraq and asking for support for an additional one-year air mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
That length of extension of the mission is significant. A six-month extension would have put any further renewal in the middle of next fall's election campaign. Canadians must go to the polls by Oct. 19, 2015.
When he initially made the case for joining the coalition fight in Iraq, the prime minister said Canada would strike ISIS "where — and only where — Canada has the clear support of the government of that country."
But that's no longer the case, he said Tuesday morning.
"In expanding our air strikes into Syria, the government has now decided that we will not seek the express consent of the Syrian government," Harper said.
"Instead, we will work closely with our American and other allies, who have already been carrying out such operations against ISIL over Syria in recent months."
Continuing air combat, special forces mission
The expanded and extended mission will include:
- The air combat mission — specifically air strikes, air-to-air refuelling, surveillance by the Aurora aircraft, and deployment of aircrew and support personnel.
- Canadian Special Forces continuing their advise-and-assist mission with Iraqi forces combating ISIS.
But Canada's contribution isn't limited to the Canadian Armed Forces, Harper said.
"We have also been helping to support more than 200,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq, with food, water, shelter and protection. There is no either/or here between military action and humanitarian aid. The situation desperately needs both and Canada has been vigorously providing both."
Polls suggest the Conservative government is playing a winning hand. Surveys indicate strong public support for the fight against ISIS.
'Hasn't earned trust'
Official Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair immediately responded that Canada has "no place in this war," to a round of grumbling by the Conservatives. House Speaker Andrew Scheer was forced to interrupt twice to silence them.
"Nothing I heard today has convinced me that the Conservatives are taking this duty with the seriousness that it deserves," Mulcair said.
"The prime minister hasn't earned that trust, because he misled Canadians from the start."
The NDP voted against the initial motion, as did Justin Trudeau's Liberals, arguing Harper didn't provide enough information about the combat operation.
Both opposition leaders referred to concerns the government wasn't honest about the role special forces operators were playing in Iraq, painting targets, or guiding airstrikes, for the Kurdish Peshmerga, whom they are training.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau warned Canada's involvement in Syria could "very well result" in Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad "consolidating his grip on power."
"This government has been steadily drawing Canada deeper into a war in Iraq," he said. "It now wants to expand that war into Syria."
Trudeau said the government hasn't articulated the mission's objectives, or said how Canada will know whether it has achieved the objectives. He said there's no exit strategy beyond the stated end date a year from now.
"It is hard to believe the public timelines," Trudeau said, especially after Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson compared this war to the one fought in Afghanistan over a decade.
Authorization not necessary
Opposition parties received the text of the new motion on Monday night, and will be briefed further on Wednesday. The debate will likely begin on Thursday.
A Canadian prime minister does not need authorization from Parliament to launch a combat mission, but Harper has made it a practice to ask the House for support in those instances.
In an essay published last fall, University of Ottawa professor and defence expert Philippe Lagassé noted that such votes can be a way to assure the military that its mission has the support of the elected house of Parliament.
But it can also provide political cover for the governing party, he adds.
"By laundering these decisions through the House, the government gives the impression that the Commons shares responsibility for the deployment."
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