Defence minister trying to clarify Canada’s role in Iraq

By

OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – As diplomats all over the world gather to discuss how to contain ISIS, our defense minister is talking about the Canadian military’s work in Iraq. It’s in response to accusations from the NDP that our troops are now involved in combat when the Conservatives promised that wouldn’t happen.

This week, we learned Canadian special ops forces have been on the front lines, were involved in one firefight, and have been on the ground, laser-marking targets for air strikes.

In the fall, the CDS General Tom Lawson said our troops would not accompany other forces into battle, but in a statement today, he says the situation has evolved, but insists our soldiers’ actions are consistent with a non-combat role.

Defence Minister Rob Nicholson denies this is mission creep. “We haven’t done anything that we shouldn’t be doing. If you’re talking about Canadian Forces being fired upon, we have a long tradition going back 200 years of returning fire to people who fire against Canadian Armed Forces.”

“That advise-and-assist role has been supported by the government and approved by Parliament,” he adds.

At the coalition conference in London, Nicholson says Canada will also help cut off financing to ISIS, but wouldn’t elaborate on how he plans to do that.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today