Canada’s military chief says allies to talk defending Gulf states from Iran
Global News
Carignan said a meeting is set for early Friday morning to discuss such a proposal among allied militaries and that a recommendation would be presented to the government.
Canada’s defence chief Gen. Jennie Carignan said allies are in talks about possibly helping Persian Gulf states defend themselves against bombing from Iran.
Speaking to reporters at a defence and security conference in Ottawa Thursday, Carignan said a meeting is set for early Friday morning to discuss such a proposal among allied militaries and the Canadian Armed Forces would present a recommendation to the government.
“The Gulf states must also indicate what they need,” Carignan said in French. “We are in communication with them to get an idea of the needs because it’s clear that if they don’t need us… we won’t look at options to support them.”
She did not specify what type of support this might involve but said Canada is not taking part in the U.S. bombing of Iran.
“We are not talking about participating (in) Epic Fury, per se,” she said. “This is not a mission that we are considering. However, our Gulf partners may require defence and support, so, within that context, these would be the types of military options that we could consider.”
The Canadian Press requested comment from the Prime Minister’s Office, but was referred to National Defence.
Carignan’s comments come as the Conservatives call for a parliamentary debate before any sort of Canadian military deployment in the ongoing war.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Australia Thursday — Wednesday in Canada — that Canada can’t “categorically” rule out military participation in the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
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