Prime Minister’s Unanswered Questions on Iraq Mission

October 1, 2014

OTTAWA – The Prime Minister has given Canadians little reason to believe that his government is being open about the current – or any new – military mission in Iraq. In fact, Mr. Harper has left Canadians without any answers to a number of very reasonable and serious questions.

1. What military support has the Prime Minister specifically offered to the United States?

2. What is the Canadian objective in any new military action? What is the plan to reach that objective?

3. Has the United States specifically asked that Canada deploy CF-18 fighter jets? How many CF-18s have been asked for by the U.S.? How long of a commitment has been requested?

4. Is the government considering combat options other than deploying CF-18s?

5. Is Canada considering combat options in Syria as well as Iraq?

6. What is the timeline for a debate and vote in Parliament on a combat mission?

7. Will the incremental cost of a combat mission reduce the amount of humanitarian aid that the government would provide?

8. Is the current mission being funded out of existing budgets or from a supplemental allotment?

9. Are the 69 Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed to Iraq presently in that country? Has the number of personnel grown? Who provides orders to the current mission?

10. What was the objective of the initial 30-day mission, and what have we accomplished?