For now, Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets have flown their last mission in both Iraq and Syria. Canada is transitioning to bringing the jets home and instead dramatically increasing troop presence overseas. Canada is going to triple the number of special forces who are said to be tasked with the objective of training Iraqi forces for at least the next two years. The country has already allocated a budget of over $1 billion toward the effort. The military missions in Iraq and Syria are going to be extended for another year, until March, 31, 2017. There has also been over $800 million promised in humanitarian assistance over the next three years.
The fight in Syria has been going on for several years now and it’s claimed that Canada has conducted roughly 2.5 per cent of all the airstrikes that were conducted in Iraq and Syria. The majority of the strikes that were launched took place in Iraq. It’s alleged that the United States has launched over 9,000 airstrikes itself in the ongoing fight against ISIS. Several years of fighting, billions of dollars, and thousands of airstrikes later, the enemy seems to be still a threat now more than ever.
Trudeau has been criticized for pulling Canada’s jets out of the fight and a variety of political representatives have condemned the move for Canada to step back in any way from the fight. Trudeau’s government maintains that they want Canada to have a “broader role” in the fight, and they hope to see more effective results delivered on the ground. This is a fight that doesn’t appear to have any clear end objective in sight and thus far as already cost Canadians billions of dollars.
When it comes to the worsening and ongoing fight in Syria, the situation is certainly a confusing one. Especially when one considers the origins of the terror group itself.
Perhaps Canada should take a step in a different direction, look instead toward focusing on its own nation and citizenry, rather than allocating billions in a fight which many say violates international law. It is the battle that has no seeming end, because when the deadline arises, it simply gets extended. Never-ending war doesn’t offer any benefit to Canada or its citizens. If anything it is quite the detriment, as we can see by looking to the United States as an example, with the many lives that the conflict will endanger and cost overall, and with the amount of wealth that will be wasted on the endeavor.
