UPDATE: Ottawa’s ISIS motion calls for airstrikes, no troops in Iraq
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will announce on Friday how Canada will increase its military support to combat the terrorist group ISIS in the Middle East, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed in a statement Thursday evening.
A motion will be made in the House Friday with a subsequent debate and vote on the issue scheduled for Monday, said Jason MacDonald, Harper’s director of communication.
READ MORE: Majority of Canadians back use of fighter jets to strike ISIS in Iraq
“This group has made direct terrorist threats against Canada and Canadians, in addition to carrying out atrocities against children, women, and men in the region,” MacDonald said in the statement. “As the Prime Minister has said before, when we recognize a threat like this that must be addressed, and that involves Canadian interests, we do our part.”
WATCH: Opposition MP Joyce Murray wants to know that debate on a Canadian combat role against ISIS will not just be window dressing
MacDonald said the Opposition was informed Thursday evening of Harper’s plan to table the motion.
“The Prime Minister’s statement will clearly outline how Canada will continue to contribute, along with dozens of other countries, to the fight against these terrorists,” said MacDonald.
READ MORE: FBI knows identity of ISIS executioner, director says
According to an exclusive Global News/Ipsos Reid poll released Thursday, more than two-thirds (or 64 per cent) of Canadians said they’re strongly or somewhat in support of Canada sending jets, likely CF-18s, to launch strikes on ISIS targets in Iraq.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair was critical about a lack of clarity regarding Canada’s mission in Iraq, while Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau slammed Harper for not making an “effort to build a non-partisan case for war.”
ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, controls a large swath of territory between the Iraq and Syrian border, and has perpetrated a number of brutal killings, including the beheadings of two American journalists and a British aid worker.
Last month several audio recordings were released by the terror group calling for attacks on Western countries, including Canada.
Credit: Janet Cordahi/Global News
The data, summaries and commentary in exclusive Global News/Ipsos Reid polling are subject to copyright. The data, summaries and commentary may only be rebroadcast or republished with full and proper attribution to both Global News and Ipsos Reid in all web articles, on social media, in radio broadcasts and with an on-screen credit for television.
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