Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Jason Kenney Blames Briefing Error For Slip-up Over Smart Bombs In Syrian Skies

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Apr, 2015 01:36 PM

    OTTAWA — Defence Minister Jason Kenney delivered a mea culpa Wednesday for his erroneous claims that Canada was the only nation outside of the United States with smart-bomb technology that was willing to launch airstrikes in Syria.

    Kenney made the statement several times last week in the House of Commons, as well as in television interviews and a media availability. Problem is, it wasn't true.

    It is a well-established, widely known fact that the U.S. and some of its Arab allies — notably Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — have conducted airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

    They all use U.S.-made, laser-guided "smart" weapons — including Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, and so-called Paveway bombs.

    Kenney rose in the House of Commons on Wednesday to correct the record and take responsibility for the mistake. He said he "wasn't given accurate information" in the briefings he'd received from the military.

    The controversy was taken to a whole new level last weekend when the country's top military commander, Gen. Tom Lawson, defended Kenney to an Ottawa newspaper, saying only the U.S. and Canada could hit moving targets in Syria with smart bombs.

    Kenney piled on, distributing Lawson's letter on Twitter as proof he was correct.

    Lawson, however, climbed down from the statement on Tuesday, saying another coalition ally had used the advanced weapons on at least one occasion.

    It's not the first time Kenney's version of the facts has elicited controversy.  

    He landed in hot water last month when, to mark International Women’s Day, he tweeted a photos of Muslim girls and women covered in black and in chains. He cited it as another example of ISIL brutality.

    The photos were actually of a ceremonial Shia Ashura ceremony that celebrates the heroism of the prophet Mohammad's grandson, Hussein, and his family.

    Both Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau slammed Kenney over the smart bombs gaffe.

    "Jason Kenney has always had an uneasy relationship with the truth," said Mulcair. "He's always pushed that envelope. He's good at spinning lines and now he's simply been caught."

    Trudeau described Kenney as the prime minister's principal cheerleader — something the minister said he considers a badge of honour.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Cod Stocks Off Newfoundland Improving But Recovery Still Years Away: Researchers

    Cod Stocks Off Newfoundland Improving But Recovery Still Years Away: Researchers
    ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Scientists tracking northern cod stocks off Newfoundland say there are hopeful signs of recovery but that any lifting of an almost 23-year-old commercial fishing moratorium is likely a decade away.

    Cod Stocks Off Newfoundland Improving But Recovery Still Years Away: Researchers

    BC's Auditor For Local Government Fired Amid Controversy

    BC's Auditor For Local Government Fired Amid Controversy
    Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Coralee Oakes announced that she is recommending auditor Basia Ruta's (BAH'-sia ROO'-tahz) appointment be rescinded.

    BC's Auditor For Local Government Fired Amid Controversy

    Mission, B.C., Residents In Shock After Flash Flood Surges Through 10 Homes

    Mission, B.C., Residents In Shock After Flash Flood Surges Through 10 Homes
    The massive flood was triggered by heavy rainfall over the weekend that overflowed a culvert already clogged with debris.

    Mission, B.C., Residents In Shock After Flash Flood Surges Through 10 Homes

    Whistler RCMP Investigating Death Of 18-Year-Old On Blackcomb Mountain

    Whistler RCMP Investigating Death Of 18-Year-Old On Blackcomb Mountain
    WHISTLER, B.C. — Whistler RCMP are investigating the death of an 18-year-old skier on Blackcomb Mountain.

    Whistler RCMP Investigating Death Of 18-Year-Old On Blackcomb Mountain

    Steve Fonyo Out Of Coma, Has Head Injury After Violent Home Invasion: Family

    Steve Fonyo Out Of Coma, Has Head Injury After Violent Home Invasion: Family
    SURREY, B.C. — More than a month after Steve Fonyo was stabbed during a violent home invasion, he has been lifted from an induced coma but is suffering from memory loss and slurred speech.

    Steve Fonyo Out Of Coma, Has Head Injury After Violent Home Invasion: Family

    Harper To Meet, Talk ISIS With NATO Secretary General

    Harper To Meet, Talk ISIS With NATO Secretary General
    OTTAWA — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is making his first visit to Canada this week, just as the House of Commons is about to have another heated debate on the military mission in Iraq.

    Harper To Meet, Talk ISIS With NATO Secretary General