THUNDER BAY – A city MP admits he is “dubious” of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s proposal to expand and extend Canada’s role in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Bruce Hyer (Green, Thunder Bay-Superior North) spoke out to local media after Harper announced in the House of Commons on Tuesday plans for the mission in Iraq to be extended another 12 months as well as to allow for air strikes in Syria.
“I hope I’m wrong but I fear the reason Mr. Harper is doing this is not really about protecting innocent people in Iraq,” Hyer said.
“I think it’s really about the politics of division and hatred and he’s trying to wrap himself in the flag. That’s not to say we don’t need to protect ourselves from ISIL here and abroad but I think he’s overplaying the dangers here in Canada.”
Hyer, the deputy leader of the Green Party, six months ago voted in support of the initial mission to contribute Canadian fighter jets to the battle against ISIL.
The Canadian Press is reporting now the Harper government is seeking an extension "to a date not beyond March 30, 2016" and approval for combat in neighbouring Syria.
In a statement in the House of Commons, Harper says the terrorist group's power base, heavy military equipment and capital is located across the border from northern Iraq.
Hyer said Canada’s role in the war has been much stronger than anticipated and he is also concerned with the implications of expanding the mission into a second country and what that might mean for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his tenuous grasp of power.
“There weren’t supposed to be boots on the ground but as we know there have been soldiers on the front lines and we’ve had one death,” Hyer said.
“I’m concerned about the length of the extension. I was hoping it would only be six months and then they would think about it again. I’m really concerned about moving into Syria and basically propping up the Assad regime, which is a horrible, horrible regime.”
The combat mission is the first for Canadian troops since the end of their involvement in Afghanistan in 2011.
He hopes the government will learn lessons from that decade long war.
“I thought it was a good idea to go into Afghanistan many years ago but we stayed too long. It’s important to know when to go in but it’s also important to know when to go out,” Hyer said.
The motion is expected to be introduced in Parliament by Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson later Tuesday with debate beginning Thursday.
Both NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said they will not be supporting the extension.
Hyer is urging constituents to contact him and provide input in advance of the vote.
(With files from The Canadian Press)
