Canada’s defence chief Gen. Jennie Carignan said allies are in talks about possibly helping Persian Gulf states defend themselves against bombing from Iran.
Chatting with reporters at a defence and security conference in Ottawa Thursday, Carignan said a gathering is ready for early Friday morning to debate such a proposal amongst allied militaries and the Canadian Armed Forces would present a suggestion to the federal government.
“The Gulf states must also indicate what they need,” Carignan said in French. “We’re in communication with them to get an idea of the needs since it’s clear that in the event that they don’t need us… we won’t take a look at options to support them.”
She didn’t specify what form of support this might involve but said Canada isn’t collaborating within the U.S. bombing of Iran.
“We usually are not talking about participating (in) Epic Fury, per se,” she said. “This isn’t a mission that we’re considering. Nonetheless, our Gulf partners may require defence and support, so, inside that context, these can be the kinds of military options that we could consider.”
The Canadian Press requested comment from the Prime Minister’s Office, but was referred to National Defence.
Carignan’s comments come because the Conservatives call for a parliamentary debate before any kind of Canadian military deployment in the continued war.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Australia Thursday — Wednesday in Canada — that Canada can’t “categorically” rule out military participation within the escalating conflict within the Middle East.
He added that Canada’s potential future involvement is a “fundamental hypothetical” and that Ottawa will stand by its allies.
The Conservatives are calling for a parliamentary debate before any kind of Canadian military deployment to the continued war in Iran.
“It must be as much as Parliament itself to say yea or nay on whether or not we’re ever going to be deploying our troops right into a conflict,” Conservative defence critic James Bezan told reporters on Thursday in Ottawa. “Let’s have the conversation where it must be, in public so there’s transparency, within the House of Commons.”
The prime minister originally expressed unequivocal support for the U.S. commencing airstrikes on Iran last weekend — then said later he did so with “regret” since the bombing campaign seems inconsistent with international law.
Bezan argued those shifts make no sense — and neither does Ottawa’s insistence on a diplomatic solution to finish the airstrikes it had endorsed.
The MP overseeing defence procurement, Stephen Fuhr, said he had not been a part of discussions on any possible military involvement in Iran.
“The region’s very unstable and there’s a conflict happening there, so Canada will make a call on what that appears like for Canada,” he told reporters.
Lt.-Gen. Steve Boivin, commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, told reporters at a defence and security conference in Ottawa Thursday that there are about 200 Armed Forces members deployed to the Middle East on six operations.
Boivin disclosed the number after Defence Minister David McGuinty and his department refused to supply a figure earlier within the week.
A few of those troops have been moved to a different country within the region, Boivin said, and a few have been brought back to Canada for the reason that war broke out.
Canadian Joint Operations Command is the unit that may be called upon to assist the federal government within the event of an evacuation or assisted departure of residents in the realm.
Boivin said there are not any Canadian Navy vessels or Air Force planes within the region to assist with such a mission at the moment. He said the military is within the technique of sending six liaison officers to the Middle East in case it’s asked to assist.
Global Affairs Canada said in an announcement Thursday evening that, as of March 5, greater than 107,000 Canadian residents and everlasting residents were registered within the Middle East.
It said the number of individuals in its voluntary Registration of Canadian Abroad system isn’t reflective of the precise variety of Canadians in a certain country nor does it reflect whether or not they really wish to depart.
The statement said Global Affairs Canada is working on “a spread of options” to support the potential departure of Canadians from several countries within the Middle East, by each land and air, “where conditions allow and when it’s protected to achieve this.”
The department said it’s working to secure charter flights or seats on business flights for Canadians within the region, to be made available in the approaching days.
“This will likely be depending on the safety situation, including viability of the airspace,” the statement read.
— With files from Sarah Ritchie and Catherine Morrison
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