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

    Manitoba Crown Will Hold New Trial For Man In School Girl's Death

    Manitoba Crown Will Hold New Trial For Man In School Girl's Death
    WINNIPEG — The Crown will hold a new trial for a Winnipeg man in the grisly killing of a teenaged girl more than 30 years ago, Manitoba's prosecution service said Friday.

    Manitoba Crown Will Hold New Trial For Man In School Girl's Death

    Alberta Woman Who Ordered Pitbulls To Attack Friend Sentenced To 4 Years In Jail

    Alberta Woman Who Ordered Pitbulls To Attack Friend Sentenced To 4 Years In Jail
    CALGARY — A central Alberta woman who ordered her pitbulls to attack her friend during an argument has been sentenced to four years in prison.

    Alberta Woman Who Ordered Pitbulls To Attack Friend Sentenced To 4 Years In Jail

    RCMP Charge Alberta Teenager With Attempting To Travel For Terrorism

    RCMP Charge Alberta Teenager With Attempting To Travel For Terrorism
    EDMONTON — RCMP say a teen has been arrested in Alberta and charged with terror-related offences. The young person was taken into custody Thursday in Beaumont, a bedroom community south of Edmonton.

    RCMP Charge Alberta Teenager With Attempting To Travel For Terrorism

    Weaning Canada Off Fossil Fuels: Scholars Says Low Carbon Economy Within Reach

    Weaning Canada Off Fossil Fuels: Scholars Says Low Carbon Economy Within Reach
    Dozens of Canada's top scholars are urging a sweeping remake of how the country produces and uses its energy in a necessary effort to wean itself off fossil fuels.

    Weaning Canada Off Fossil Fuels: Scholars Says Low Carbon Economy Within Reach

    Harper And Netanyahu To Talk Sunday For First Time Since Israeli Election

    Harper And Netanyahu To Talk Sunday For First Time Since Israeli Election
    OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is planning a Sunday telephone call to his Israeli counterpart and friend, Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Harper And Netanyahu To Talk Sunday For First Time Since Israeli Election

    Toronto Transit Driver Dhanbir Shergill Charged In Death Of 14-year-old Girl

    Toronto Transit Driver Dhanbir Shergill Charged In Death Of 14-year-old Girl
    Police say 28-year-old Dhanbir Shergill of Bowmanville, Ont., is charged with dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

    Toronto Transit Driver Dhanbir Shergill Charged In Death Of 14-year-old Girl