Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Harper Ratchets Up Powerful Anti-terror Rhetoric; Just Posturing, Trudeau Says

The Canadian Press, 10 Aug, 2015 10:07 AM
    OTTAWA — Stephen Harper ramped up the anti-terror talk Monday, defending Canada's role in the fight against insurgents in the Middle East and slamming his two main rivals for what he considers their misguided opposition to military action.
     
    With the trial of disgraced senator Mike Duffy set to make its dramatic return to the political stage this week, the Conservative leader is escalating the rhetoric as he depicts his party as the only one capable of keeping Canadians safe.
     
    Harper strongly defended the use of Canadian warplanes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — also known as ISIL and ISIS — as he promised Canada would  take in more refugees from the region over the next several years.
     
    Offering safe haven to refugees is not enough, the prime minister said during a campaign stop in Markham, Ont.
     
    "ISIS, left to its own devices, will create millions, tens of millions of refugees and victims on a monthly basis," he said.
     
    "That's why the international community intervened ... President Obama and our allies felt we had no choice. We were witnessing mass slaughter at an alarming, lightning pace that was sweeping across the region."
     
    Harper brushed off the criticisms of NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who reject military action and have urged that Canada stick to providing humanitarian aid.
     
    "If your policy is humanitarian assistance without military support, all you're doing is dropping aid on dead people," Harper said.
     
    " That's not acceptable. We're a country that can contribute militarily and in a humanitarian sense, and we are doing both."
     
    Harper says a re-elected Conservative government would bring in 10,000 additional religious minority refugees from Syria and Iraq, targeting refugees in the region who face persecution or the threat of extremist violence.
     
    On Sunday, the prime minister raised eyebrows with a promise to ban travel to regions controlled by terror groups, saying such travel is "not a human right"— a comment he repeated Monday.
     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Campers Evacuated As Crews Fight Aggressive Harrison Lake Wildfire

    Campers Evacuated As Crews Fight Aggressive Harrison Lake Wildfire
    Fire information officer says a fire discovered Sunday afternoon burning in slash and brush about 20 kilometres north of Harrison Hot Springs has grown to nearly half a square kilometre

    Campers Evacuated As Crews Fight Aggressive Harrison Lake Wildfire

    B.C. Ministry Says Upgrades To Highway Where Bus Crashed Are 'Critical'

    B.C. Ministry Says Upgrades To Highway Where Bus Crashed Are 'Critical'
    The two-lane stretch is notorious for collisions and the province announced earlier this year it would be upgraded to four lanes to improve safety

    B.C. Ministry Says Upgrades To Highway Where Bus Crashed Are 'Critical'

    Four Dead, Two Injured As Car GetsTrapped Under The Fuel Tanker Near Granby, Quebec

    Four Dead, Two Injured As Car GetsTrapped Under The Fuel Tanker Near Granby, Quebec
    Quebec provincial police say a fiery crash involving a tanker truck and three cars Friday night has resulted in the death of four people outside Montreal.

    Four Dead, Two Injured As Car GetsTrapped Under The Fuel Tanker Near Granby, Quebec

    Multiple Drones Force Wildfire Crews To Halt Air Operations Near Kelowna, B.C.

    Multiple Drones Force Wildfire Crews To Halt Air Operations Near Kelowna, B.C.
    WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Crews have been forced to halt air operations on a wildfire burning near West Kelowna, B.C., due to multiple drones flying overhead.

    Multiple Drones Force Wildfire Crews To Halt Air Operations Near Kelowna, B.C.

    Governor General David Johnston Dissolves Parliament For Oct. 19 Election Campaign

    Governor General David Johnston Dissolves Parliament For Oct. 19 Election Campaign
    OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he has asked Governor General David Johnston to dissolve Parliament, touching off an 11-week campaign in advance of an election Oct. 19.

    Governor General David Johnston Dissolves Parliament For Oct. 19 Election Campaign

    Ontario Premier Rails Against Harper For Anticipated Early Election Call

    Ontario Premier Rails Against Harper For Anticipated Early Election Call
    One of Canada's most prominent politicians is lambasting the idea of an early federal election call as "unnecessary" and an affront to taxpayers who will foot the bill.

    Ontario Premier Rails Against Harper For Anticipated Early Election Call