Stephen Harper

[National Defence, October 1st, 2014]

No, Mr. Speaker.

[National Defence, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the government has authorized up to 69 personnel. People will come and go from the theatre. The decisions on the operational needs within that number will be made by commanders on the ground.

[National Defence, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition already knows the answer to that question.

There are 26 soldiers today. The government has authorized 69 soldiers, as is well known, and that is obviously a maximum. Those numbers will fluctuate depending on decisions of operational commitments.

[Health, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has not had any confirmed cases of Ebola.

On the contrary, the Public Health Agency has obviously been seized with this for some time. There are no concerned cases. The Public Health Agency believes that the risk to Canadians remains low. It is more than ready to respond if a case of Ebola does reach Canada.

I would point out that both the Public Health Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs have recommended that Canadians avoid all non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

[Foreign Affairs, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as you can understand, I neither have the will nor the desire to get into detailed discussions of military operations here.

As I have said repeatedly, the Canadian Forces involved in Iraq are not involved in combat. They are there to assist Iraqi and Peshmerga forces in undertaking combat against a brutal enemy that is intent on their slaughter. We will go there and we will assist them and make sure we stop that kind of problem there and not at our own shores.

[Foreign Affairs, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, once again, as I have said, the purpose of Canadian Forces in Iraq is to assist and to advise the Iraqi forces as they have been resisting, particularly in the north, a force bent on the genocide of the people who live there. These are the actions they are undertaking. While there is some risk, there is not a direct combat role.

I say once again, we are very proud of people who do this work on our behalf and keep all of us, not just in that part of the world but all of us here in Canada, safe.

[Foreign Affairs, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I just said that Canadian soldiers are not accompanying the Iraqi forces into combat.

[Foreign Affairs, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I said “ advise and assist the Iraqis”.

If I could just use the terminology in English, it is quite precise. It is to advise and to assist. It is not to accompany. I think that was laid out before the parliamentary committee.

[Foreign Affairs, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the rules are very clear. They are there to advise and assist Iraqi forces in the northern part of the country.

[Foreign Affairs, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the government will make public its own decisions. Ultimately, while we act with our American and other allies, this country is responsible for its own decisions, its own actions, and those are the things we will put to this Parliament to debate.