Conservatives say any Iran military action should be up to Parliament

The Conservatives are calling for a parliamentary debate before any sort of Canadian military deployment in the ongoing war in Iran, after Prime Minister Mark Carney said such a deployment is possible.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan says Parliament should have the final say on whether Canada deploys troops in a conflict and accuses Carney of being “all over the map.”

The prime minister originally expressed unequivocal support for the U.S. commencing airstrikes on Iran last weekend — then said later he did so with “regret” because the bombing campaign seems inconsistent with international law.

Carney has said Ottawa has no plans to join the military campaign, but he added Wednesday that he could not categorically rule out a military deployment in the event allies call on Canada for help.

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is playing down the idea of an alliance response to Iranian actions, saying no one has been talking about such a move since NATO member Turkey reported the alliance’s defence system shot down an incoming ballistic missile.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she was not aware that her parliamentary secretary, Rob Oliphant, had said days before the U.S. attack that Ottawa does not believe in military action that isn’t sanctioned by the United Nations.