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The 180

Is combat the right role for Canada in Iraq?

When the federal government announced plans to get involved in the fight against ISIS, it promised that this would not be another Afghanistan, there would be no combat. But now it appears Canadian troops might be exposed to a little more than the public expected.
CBC Radio ·
Major General Dean Milner, Commander of 1st Canadian Division (right), joins Joint Task Force-Iraq Commander, Brigadier-General Dan Constable (left) and Air Task Force-Iraq Commander, Colonel Eric Kenny for a tour Camp Patrice Vincent, Kuwait (Canadian Forces Combat Camera)
The 18010:50Canada is in combat. But should we be?

When the federal government announced plans to get involved in the fight against ISIS, it promised that this would not be another Afghanistan. Prime Minister Stephen Harper insisted the mission for Canadian Forces would be limited in scope and would not involve ground troops in a combat role.

But now it appears Canadian troops might be exposed to a little more than the public expected.

On Monday, the Canadian Forces gave a tactical briefing on the mission so far. Brigadier-General Michael Rouleau said explained how some Canadian special forces - who were there to mark targets for air attacks - got involved in an incident that sounded an awful lot like combat.

I don't think it's a serious argument to pretend that force can not be, or should not be a component in halting this genocidal, gang raping, slaving group of bandits.- Michael Petrou

Those troops were fired upon by ISIS forces and returned sniper fire.
Now the opposition claims the government mislead Canadians when it announced the mission last fall. This week on the 180 we hear from two commentators on this story.Michael Petrou is a Senior Writer at Maclean's who believes Canada is in a combat role and that's a good thing.

He believes we can and should expand our military involvement in the conflict."I don't think it's a serious argument to pretend that force can not be, or should not be a component in halting this genocidal, gang raping, slaving group of bandits.

We're playing a symbolic military role, where the main strategy is a very short-sighted military strategy, when what we could be doing is playing a much more meaningful role in the broader political strategy.- Peggy Mason

"Peggy Mason is president of the Rideau Institute and she also describes Canada's role as combat. She says that's the wrong role for us."We're playing a symbolic military role, where the main strategy is a very short-sighted military strategy, when what we could be doing is playing a much more meaningful role in the broader political strategy."

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