Canada's Involvement in the War with Iraq

CANADA'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR WITH IRAQ

CANADA'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR WITH IRAQ

Since the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, U.S allies have been faced with many new decisions. Canada is one of the closest allies of the United States and has long shared the same goals, making the controversy surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq one of importance for the Canadian parliament and its citizens. Questions of justification and UN implications have left the country with mixed feelings. These mixed feelings presented disagreements between the Canadian Liberal Government and its official opposition, the Conservative Party. These are only a few outlooks of the Canadian government and its people that are not widely known outside the borders of Canada, and so, this paper will discuss these issues in an attempt to enlighten readers on the subject. Therefore the question remains, how has Canada been involved in the U.S. war on Iraq, and where do the opinions of the Canadian government and citizens lay?

Overview of Canada's political system

In order to better comprehend the decisions of Canada, that is to say, who is making them and why, it is beneficial to understand the country's political system and framework. The Parliament of Canada is Canada's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The parliament consists of an upper and lower house much like the traditional British Parliamentary system which the Canadian system is modeled after. The consent of the Prime Minister, as well as the legislature is often required to ratify treaties and declare war, including the case of joining the war on Iraq with the U.S. The Prime Minister is responsible for looking after the best interests of the Canadian population.

The History of Canadian Involvement in the War

The first evidence of Canadian participation came after the attacks of 9/11 when the Prime Minister at the time, Jean Chretien ordered the military on full alert and offered the United States "certain commitments", including 2000 peacekeeping soldiers, following the U.S. led strikes against Afghanistan. When the Canadian government was later asked to expand the War on Terror to Iraq, Chretien said that Canada would be reluctant to join without a clear link between Saddam Hussein and the attacks of September 11th.

In November 2003 the United States officially invited Canada to join the coalition, along with other allies. In response, Canada supported an effort to send in weapons inspectors, and in January 2003 Canadian Defence Minister John McCallum stated that if the inspectors found Iraq was violating the UN resolutions Canada would join the invasion. Due to the fact that nothing was found, Canada launched an effort to secure a new UN resolution in March 2003 that would delay the war. This effort failed and the war began without Canadian involvement.

Despite Canada not joining the war there has been considerable indirect involvement by the country. During the invasion Canada sent several vessels to the Gulf region as part of the effort to prevent terrorists from travelling through the region. These ships were given the authority to support their allies in the region. . As mentioned earlier, Canada also sent 2000 soldiers to the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, freeing up American forces for Iraq. A number of Canadians are also serving in Iraq, as in April 2003 the Canadian government confirmed that there were 51 Canadians in Iraq who were on exchange programs with allied forces. Also, there is unquestionably a number of Canadians who enlisted in foreign armies and have served in Iraq, though exact numbers are unclear.

One of the more recent involvements of Canada with the war in Iraq is a deal that was announced between General Dynamics, the US defense contractor, and Canada's SNC Technologies Inc. The purpose of this agreement is for SNC Tecnologies Inc. to supply between 300 million and 500 million bullets per year to US forces (Spannos 2004). This is potentially a five year deal which dismisses the idea that Canada is a neutral contender in the war. "The Iraq Body Count reports up to 14,000 civilian deaths and the People's Kifah reports well over 37,000 dead." (CBC News: March 19, 2003) This means that Canada is literally providing the ammunition to kill Iraqis.

Other Canadian contributions include "the provision of strategic support by the means of supplying 25 military planners to the US command post in Qatar." (Spannos 2004) Other evidence that Canada supported the war includes the use of Canadian military personnel aboard the US Air Force's E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System air craft. The E-3 Sentry provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications for the military. According to the US Air Force, one such aircraft "carried approximately 180 members from the 552nd Air Control Wing -- the wing's Canadian component -- and 513th Air Control Group reservists. The units were deployed supporting operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom." (Spannos 2004)

Advocates of the war on Iraq

Although Canada's government officially decided to abstain from being an intricate part of the war on Iraq, there are groups of people within the country who feel it is irresponsible and wrong for Canada not to be part of such an important world issue. One important example is the Conservative Party, the only governmental party who is for the war. The leader of the Conservative Party, Steven Harper, said that "the government should remember where our bread is buttered" (Watt 2002) and support its most important ally and neighbor.

Opponents of the Liberals' decisions to stay out of the war are not limited to the House of Commons. The Canadian business community complained that Canada's position on Iraq kept Canadian companies from getting contracts in reconstruction. Canadian NGO's (non-governmental organization), Canadian experts, technical workers, and for-profit corporations are all feeling this effect (CBC NEWS 2003). In a letter to Chrйtien, Goldcorp chairman and CEO Robert McEwen said not supporting the United States against Iraq "guarantees Canada no role in shaping the future of this region and it will also transform our once longest undefended border in the world into a formidable barrier to trade, capital, travel and friendship with our largest trading partner." (McEwen 2003) Therefore, it is the feelings