Canada has a finite number of military resources, and it must be careful not to overstretch those resources in the fight against the so-called Islamic State, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.
In an exclusive interview with The West Block‘s Tom Clark in London, Trudeau explained that Canada may not have the ability to increase its training initiatives in the fight against the terrorist group while also continuing to participate in a coalition bombing campaign.
“For six planes we’re talking about 600 people to support those planes in various terms,” Trudeau said. “It’s important to look at how best Canada can be helpful in the fight against ISIL.”
Asked if the decision then boils down to a question of money, Trudeau replied that “decisions on sending Canada’s military into operational theaters will always be made on a case-by-case basis … I think that there is a sense, certainly amongst a number of the people I’ve spoken with — experts — that there are other things Canada can be doing that will be of even greater value (than bombing) to the coalition.”
READ MORE: CF-18s useless without on-the-ground training: Harjit Sajjan
This marks the first time Trudeau has referred to finite resources in response to questions about his government’s decision to end the Canadian bombing mission. In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, critics had been asking why Canada could not simply continue to participate while also beefing up training in northern Iraq, something Trudeau pledged to do in the lead-up to the federal election.
Putin “not directly an enemy”
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Clark also pressed the prime minister for his thoughts on Russian president Vladimir Putin and his possible reaction to a Russian fighter jet being shot down over Turkey earlier this week.
Trudeau said it seems “very clear” that the Russian pilots ignored warnings to remove themselves from Turkish airspace. Russia, however, is claiming no such warnings were received, and there are concerns that the incident will only serve to further destabilize an already complex and tense situation in the Middle East.
“Although (Putin) has moments of being helpful … particularly in other aspects of the Syrian conflict, for example, on the whole he has led to instability and uncertainly both in Eastern Europe, in the Middle East, even to a certain extent in the Arctic,” Trudeau said.
Asked if he considers the Russian leader an enemy, Trudeau paused for a moment, then replied: “He’s certainly not directly an enemy to Canada.”
Single male refugees will have to wait
Following the federal government’s release of a detailed plan on Tuesday to welcome 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 and another 15,000 in the eight weeks that follow, Trudeau was also asked why single men will not be among the first waves of newcomers.
“In order to get the 25,000 here in as significantly efficient a way as possible, we’re having to do a rapid triage,” he said.
READ MORE: How to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees: A step-by-step guide
That means looking at the people who are most vulnerable — namely children, women, families and members of the LGBT community — and prioritizing those “most likely to see successful integration in the short-term.”
Single males and cases with “a higher profile of concern” will not be rejected, Trudeau promised, but they will likely be subject to a longer wait.
“Bringing in 25,000 new Canadians, in terms of Syrian refugees, is going to be a tremendous benefit to Canada,” he predicted.
“There is no question that well-integrated, supported refugees … that is part of what has built this country and Canadians understand that.”
WATCH: In part 1 of this exclusive interview, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discusses Canada’s role in the fight against the so-called Islamic State, Canada’s policy on Syrian refugees, plus Vladimir Putin and the Russian jet incident with Turkey.
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