Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the deployment of several dozen members of the Canadian Armed Forces to Iraq. Upon receipt of final consent from Iraq, they will join the U.S. in advising the Government of Iraq on how to enable security forces in the northern part of the country to be more effective against the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This will contribute to protecting Iraqi citizens being persecuted by ISIL and help prevent any further escalation of the humanitarian crisis being caused by those fleeing the terrorist group.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a political and military Alliance whose primary goals are the collective defence of its members and the maintenance of peace and security in the North Atlantic area. This fundamental and enduring purpose is effectively achieved through the Alliance's three core tasks of collective defence, global crisis management and cooperative security through partnerships.
On September 5, 2014, leaders participating in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Wales, United Kingdom, had the opportunity to witness a fly-by of fighter aircraft from Allied nations, including a Canadian CF-18.
Since early 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terror group has been carrying out a murderous rampage across Iraq, seizing territory and systematically killing children, women and men, as well as displacing more than one million Iraqis.
The Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, the Honourable Denis Lebel, and the Member of the National Assembly for Richmond, Deputy Government Whip and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister responsible for the Centre-Québec region (revitalization of the asbestos mining region), Karine Vallières, on behalf of Quebec's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, Pierre Moreau, are pleased to announce that the Richmond provincial electoral district will receive $18,162,549 over the next five years under the new federal-provincial Gas Tax Fund agreement and from the Government of Quebec's contribution for the completion of priority infrastructure projects.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird was in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, today to meet with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials and discuss their efforts to address the humanitarian and security situation in the region, as well as Canadian assistance. He was joined by an all-party delegation consisting of Paul Dewar, Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, and Marc Garneau, Member of Parliament for Westmount-Ville-Marie.
