NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar is questioning Ottawa's decision to send about 100 military advisers to Iraq to take part in a non-combat mission, saying the mission should first be subject to parliamentary debate before any boots hit the ground.
Dewar told CTV's Question Period that the decision by the federal government to send members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) to Iraq came as a “surprise” to the NDP.
Dewar accompanied Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Liberal MP Marc Garneau on a trip to Iraq last week to get a first-hand look at the toll the Islamic State militants are taking on the region. During that trip, Baird announced millions of dollars in humanitarian aid for the country, as well as two RCAF transport aircraft to help deliver supplies to Kurdish forces.
But the NDP MP said he was puzzled by Ottawa's decision to send members of the Canadian Forces to the area because that's not what Iraqi officials are asking for.
"This came as a surprise for us, and frankly the decision is puzzling, because all of the officials we met, including the president of Iraq and president of the Kurdistan regional government, said we do not need boots on the ground," Dewar said.
He added that Canada should instead be focusing resources to help the internally displaced Iraqis who are fleeing the militants, as he said this is what Iraqi officials want.
"If anything, send over people to build refugee camps," Dewar said.
Dewar said that the federal government should seek parliamentary approval before the Canadian advisers leave for the region.
"Our position has always been when you're sending troops abroad you need to have a defined mission, understand what they're doing and have parliament debate and approve it," he said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada would be sending the military members to take part in the new non-combat mission. The special ops are part of a regiment that regularly trains and advises foreign militaries on counter-terrorism efforts.
The Canadian troops will join U.S. soldiers in advising the Iraqi government on how to halt the advance of the Islamic State in the country's north. The initial commitment is for 30 days, at which point the mission will be re-assessed, Harper said.
The prime minister said the decision to commit Canadian Forces came after a request from U.S. President Barack Obama.
A 'serious security threat to the world': Garneau
Also speaking on CTV’s Question Period, Garneau said while the Liberals are in support of Canada providing aid for internally displaced Iraqis, the party supports Harper’s just-announced mission and supports the drive to have the Islamic State removed.
"Listen, we need to do more for the refugee camps … If we don't want those refugee camps to be there for years (then) ISIS has to be dislodged, it has to be moved out," he said. "There's no question this is a very serious security threat to the world.
Garneau said the Liberals will be asking to see more details about the mission next week during a foreign affairs parliamentary committee meeting, but at this point the party is not calling for a parliamentary vote.
He said the Liberals will be watching to make sure this mission doesn't lead to another, a phenomenon known as "mission creep."
According to a statement put out by the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday, a special meeting of the House of Commons committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development “will be convened at the earliest opportunity” to provide information to MPs.
