Defence Minister David McGuinty said Monday that Canada “will not be participating” in the war in Iran after Prime Minister Mark Carney last week did not rule out the possibility of Canadian military involvement.
Speaking at an unrelated media event in Ottawa, McGuinty added that Canada has not yet decided to join its NATO allies in offering assistance to Persian Gulf nations that have come under attack by Iran.
“Clearly the situation in Iran is extremely serious,” McGuinty told reporters. “It’s one we’ve been watching since the beginning.
“It’s important for Canadians to know that Canada was not consulted before the action undertaken by Israel and the United States. Canada was not asked to comment, Canada has not participated and Canada will not be participating.”
McGuinty’s comment echoed the Prime Minister’s Office summary of a late Sunday meeting of the government’s incident response group to discuss the situation in the Middle East, which McGuinty said Monday he participated in.
“Canada was not consulted, did not participate, and has no plans to participate in the offensive actions against Iran that are being undertaken by the U.S. and Israel,” the PMO readout stated.
In Australia on March 4, Carney said the notion of Canadian participation was a “fundamental hypothetical” but said he could not “categorically rule out participation” — particularly if allies needed defending.
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Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan told reporters at a defence and security conference in Ottawa last week that she and her NATO counterparts would be meeting to consider helping Gulf states defend themselves against bombing from Iran.
She said the Canadian Armed Forces would present a recommendation to the government after the meeting, which took place Friday.
McGuinty said Monday that “a number of NATO members have decided to provide some assistance to neighbouring countries in the immediate vicinity of Iran.”
“Canada has made no such decision,” he added. “It’s something that we’re monitoring carefully.”
A number of European nations including France and the United Kingdom have deployed additional military assets to the region, including air defences and warships.
McGuinty said Carignan and other NATO military leaders were monitoring the Iran war’s impact on the alliance’s military readiness and ammunition supplies, including how that may affect the ability to assist in the war in Ukraine.
The House of Commons was set to hold a debate Monday evening on Canada’s approach to the war in Iran and its impact on Canadians abroad. Carney will not be participating.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre earlier Monday accused Carney of contradicting himself on Canada’s position, which Poilievre said no one understands.
Carney last week walked back his initial statement of support for the Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, saying the position was taken “with regret” due to a potential violation of international law.
Asked if he supported the U.S. and Israeli strikes, Poilievre said Conservatives support replacing Iran’s “terrorist regime with a democratically elected and peaceful regime,” although there have been conflicting statements from the U.S. administration on whether regime change was the goal of the war.
“As for Canada’s role in it, we’re not aware of any specific requests that the prime minister has received,” Poilievre added.
“If he has, we’d encourage him to share that information with all Canadians so we can have a debate about what we should do.”
Poilievre said Canada should be focused on what it can control at home, particularly on energy. He said Conservatives were demanding an emergency debate about how the conflict is affecting global energy supplies and how Canada can help solve the issue.
McGuinty said the federal government, for now, remains focused on the safety of Canadians in the Middle East and facilitating transport out of the region for those who wish to leave.
“The situation is serious,” he said. “It’s one that’s evolving, one that’s iterative, one that is difficult to predict. So we are, as DND (Department of National Defence) and the Canadian Armed Forces, watching it carefully, and in fact, we met with the Incident Response Group yesterday with the prime minister and five or six ministers to review the situation.”
Global Affairs Canada said Sunday that, out of the nearly 110,000 Canadians registered with the government who are in the Middle East, 9,185 have made requests for assistance and 5,267 have asked for help to leave the region.
The government has been using multiple methods of transportation, including booking commercial flight seats and ground transportation, to get people out. Those in Iran have been forced to travel to neighbouring countries where they can receive consular assistance.
Liberals. Do not send our people to US and Israel’s unjustified war.
Level Iran to the ground. Would be a bonus to the world.
Carney reportedly said the same today, but he’ll probably change his response tomorrow.
Let trump fight all the wars he wants as he tries again for a peace prize. Not us. And trump thought invading Viet Nam was dumb? Have fun exiting.
But but but, these poor beings need Canada’s pellet and bb guns and bows and arrows!
If these so-called “Gulf allies” need defending then let America do it. Not our war.
Liberal stance on this one changes daily so let’s tune in next week maybe, for updates. As for not participating in this war, it’s the right decision. Not our war, and Trump is handling things just fine.
The Iranian Regime is very disappointed that the Liberal Regime in Canada is not going to fight along them against the imperialist pigs called the USA. Canada and Iran’s dictatorship has so much in common plus Canada has been a safe haven for our elite.
Canada couldn’t beat the Bahamas right now…and good ol freeland is in the Ukraine to pick up the checks
Remains to be seen.
The federal government didn’t blink an eye while sending 25.5 billion dollars to Ukraine for its war since 2022. Isreal is involved in the Iran war so they will not send a penny. The usual Jew hate from the Liberal Party of Canada.
We can supply them with tampons for the men’s latrines instead. Trudeau can deliver them personally.
Why would we? Unless we can stop it.
Ah the old “killing children” strategy. Let’s not forget that one of the favourite strategies of Hamas in Gaza is to use civilian locations such as schools and hospitals as fronts for their ammunition and weapons storage and rocket launch sites. Why should it be different in Iran.
But our glorious leader isn’t sure “We support it, we’re upset about it, we think it’s bad, but also, we might join in.”
No Canadian taxpayers would support or pay the pipeline for the anti Canada separatist Danielle Smith.
As a Canadian, I’m not into bombing children.
Genocide in Gaza and now the mass killing of Iranian children must be denounced but big balls are lacking these days.
Zionists can not be permitted to drag Canadians children to the US of Israel meat grinder for billionaires thievery.
👏👏👏👏👏 not Canada’s war
Liberals know that the popular vote sides with the Muslim populace, news only somewhat control financially, but that is decreasing yearly. The war is over in reality
We’d go there and apologize them to death.
Where you gonna send some men with tampons ?
Finally somebody smart in Canadian government
Great decision ,finally somebody smart in Canadain government
We wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway we’re a joke unreliable and it’ll offend the liberals since Venezuela fallen liberals have made it clear they don’t like dictatorships to fall and Iran is one the liberals want to stand
Good
Good decision let Trump fight the war he started.
This just in: Canada’s government is weak, cowardly, and self-serving. Heaven forbid they do something worth doing like fight against a regime that actively advocates for the eradication of Western democracies. Can’t risk offending migrant populations with beliefs incompatible with Occidental society, they’re valuable votes in the corrupt game of federal politics.
The LPC cant be believed
They have said a half dozen different things on this issue in the last week
Good
duke, how do you know they’re Canadian, you stupid f *uck?? And they’re right.
A lot of tough talking MAGANUKs. How about a ticket to Iran and be the first boots on the ground tough guy.
Canada is a coward in the world..all talk, no action.
Canada was never asked because Canada is soft and has a weak military and is a generally unreliable ally.