Close X
Tuesday, November 12, 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

    Inquest Into B.C. Mill Explosion Adjourned As New Evidence Uncovered

    Inquest Into B.C. Mill Explosion Adjourned As New Evidence Uncovered
    PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — An inquest into a fatal explosion at the Lakeland Mills sawmill in Prince George, B.C., has been adjourned until next week after new evidence was uncovered.

    Inquest Into B.C. Mill Explosion Adjourned As New Evidence Uncovered

    Education Minister Fassbender Says Second Audit Of Vancouver Schools Budget Will Continue

    Education Minister Fassbender Says Second Audit Of Vancouver Schools Budget Will Continue
    VICTORIA — Education Minister Peter Fassbender says budget disputes between the Vancouver School Board and his ministry must end.

    Education Minister Fassbender Says Second Audit Of Vancouver Schools Budget Will Continue

    Man Shot By US Border Patrol Agent Near BC Border Wanted For Murder, Assaulted Agent With Spray

    Man Shot By US Border Patrol Agent Near BC Border Wanted For Murder, Assaulted Agent With Spray
    SUMAS, Wash. — American officials say a man fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent Thursday near the British Columbia border was wanted for murder in another jurisdiction and assaulted the agent with a chemical spray.

    Man Shot By US Border Patrol Agent Near BC Border Wanted For Murder, Assaulted Agent With Spray

    Canadian Man Accused Of Travelling To Florida For Sex Tourism Scheduled To Plead Guilty

    MIAMI — A Canadian man is scheduled to plead guilty to charges he travelled to Florida to have sex with someone investigators say he believed was an underage boy.

    Canadian Man Accused Of Travelling To Florida For Sex Tourism Scheduled To Plead Guilty

    TV Producers Fear A La Carte Channel Selection Threatens Jobs, Kids' Content

    TV Producers Fear A La Carte Channel Selection Threatens Jobs, Kids' Content
    TORONTO — An a la carte system gives TV fans more choice but they'll ultimately have fewer channels to choose from, say some Canadian producers who predict job losses and less programming for kids.

    TV Producers Fear A La Carte Channel Selection Threatens Jobs, Kids' Content

    Alberta Warns Workers In Slumping Oilpatch To Beware Of Bogus Job Offers On Web

    Alberta Warns Workers In Slumping Oilpatch To Beware Of Bogus Job Offers On Web
    EDMONTON — Alberta is warning workers in the slumping oilpatch to beware of fraudulent websites that offer energy industry jobs for an upfront fee.

    Alberta Warns Workers In Slumping Oilpatch To Beware Of Bogus Job Offers On Web