September 15, 2014 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today participated in the International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq, hosted by French President François Hollande and Iraqi President Fouad Massoum. The conference, held in Paris, brought together world leaders intent on working together to combat the heinous actions of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
“Having recently witnessed the harm caused by ISIL in Iraq, I continue to condemn this terrorist group, which has perverted the peaceful message of Islam and murdered thousands of innocents in its name,” said Baird. “This rogue group systematically violates every value that Canada holds dear.”
Canada is already assisting in the delivery of military supplies to Iraqi security forces fighting ISIL and has sent military advisers to support them. At today’s conference, Baird urged a united response from the international community in the face of such brutal barbarism.
“We cannot afford to be ambiguous in the face of this threat,” said Baird. “No country alone can tackle this problem. We must work together, to each of our strengths and abilities. We must stand together to extinguish this threat.”
A backgrounder follows.
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To date in 2014, Canada has committed more than $28 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. Of this amount, $18.8 million is for populations affected by civil unrest and $9.6 million is for Syrian refugees. This funding is helping meet the urgent health, shelter, protection and food needs of thousands of civilians in Iraq, as well as providing relief supplies and contributing to camp construction. In June 2014, Iraq was added to the list of Canada’s development country partners.
Another $10 million is for non-lethal security assistance to provide equipment such as helmets, body armour and logistics support vehicles to security forces in Iraq combatting ISIL and $5 million to support regional efforts to limit the movement of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced that Canada would join a broad-ranging international coalition against ISIL by sending several dozen Canadian Forces members in an advise and assist capacity to help Iraqi forces, including Kurdish Peshmerga forces, in their struggle against ISIL.
Furthermore, the Royal Canadian Air Force has delivered almost 226,800 kilograms of military supplies donated by our allies to Iraqi security forces.
