Nothing can disguise the number of missions and training exercises from which Canada has been absent because of lack of resources
The Trudeau government should be commended for backing the airstrikes on Houthi rebels who are attacking ships in the Red Sea.
But the admission that Canada did not take on an operational role shows how impotent our military has become: we are limited to sending moral support and maple syrup.
Justin Trudeau was clearly rattled when a reporter asked him why Canada did not contribute more.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Don't have an account? Create Account
“We don’t have the particular assets in the region …. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are within the task groups working in the region and we have contributed around, sort of, the planning … and, and the overseeing of the operation,” he said.
Three Canadians — two planners and one intelligence analyst —were assigned to the Operation Prosperity Guardian international maritime task force last month.
Another 20 Canadians are embedded with U.S. forces as part of Operation Foundation to promote stability in the Middle East. A Canadian brigadier general is currently acting as the director of the Combined Air Operations Center at U.S. Airforce Central Command in Qatar. It would be a very generous interpretation that accepted on that evidence that Canada was “overseeing the operation.”
As for military assets, all of Canada’s 12 frigates remain in home waters and none of its fighter jets were involved.
This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
One source suggested the Americans did request assistance from Royal Canadian Navy supply ship MV Asterix, currently docked in Victoria. But that could not be confirmed at press time.
The bulk of the firepower was supplied by U.S. jets, Tomahawk missiles from U.S. Navy ships and a number of Britain’s Royal Air Force Typhoons from Cyprus. The Royal Navy had two warships in the Red Sea but neither could fire land-attack missiles, so they were not engaged. The same would likely have been the case for Canada’s frigates. But nothing can disguise the number of missions and training exercises from which Canada has been absent because of lack of resources.
At least the prime minister paid lip service to upholding international law.
The bottom line is that we are in a time of chronic instability — when the rules and laws that have kept the peace for the past 75 years are under threat — even if Canada is increasingly irrelevant when it comes to enforcing those rules.
There is no ambiguity about right and wrong in this case. Both prime minister Justin Trudeau and Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre agree the Houthis have crossed a red line.
Trudeau said the strikes were “very, very narrowly targeted” to degrade the Houthis’ capacity to continue to violate international law.
He was asked whether he had a duty to consult Parliament before supporting the use of force and said Canada has a duty to react when there are violations of international law. “We acted according to our authority to do so,” he said.
The Liberals will clearly get Conservative support, but may struggle to win over their erstwhile New Democrat allies.
NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson tweeted that that Liberals have joined a military action with no sense at all of what could come next. “At this dangerous moment, the Liberals are making dangerous choices,” she wrote.
But John Locke’s theory of natural law states that without laws there is no freedom. And without enforcement, those laws are worthless.
The freedom of navigation is a principle of law of the sea, that ships flying the flag of a sovereign state should not suffer interference from other states or actors.
The Houthis are engaged in a campaign of piracy, hijacking and murder that cannot be tolerated by the international community.
In December alone, Houthis attacked shipping on 21 occasions, using cruise missiles and drones. Their actions have forced 18 shipping companies to re-route their vessels to use the Cape of Good Hope, rather than the Suez Canal, adding 10 days and millions of dollars to a shipment from, say the Netherlands to Taiwan.
Retaliation has been a long time coming. The Houthis have been attacking shipping in the region since 2015, but there has been an upsurge in activity since hostilities erupted in Gaza in October. One analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project, a not-for-profit think tank, believes that there is an ideological component to the Houthi attacks, in that the Iranian-backed group is less likely to spark a region-wide conflagration than Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But ACLED analyst Luca Nevola also thinks the maritime attacks are a diversionary tactic aimed at distracting Yemenis from inept Houthi governance in the parts of the country it controls, as salaries go unpaid and teachers go on strike.
If so, Friday’s mass rallies in Yemeni cities condemning the air strikes, suggests the gamble has paid off so far.
Houthi leaders are defiant and say their attacks will continue. There are shrill warnings that the U.S.-led coalition risks getting into a costly, unwinnable war against the Houthis, just as the Saudis did.
But the countries who are determined to defend the established order will not, and cannot, abandon the freedom-of-navigation laws to these 21st century pirates. To do so would set a very bad precedent for other parts of the globe, not least the South China Sea, which Beijing increasingly regards as a Chinese lake.
National Post
jivison@criffel.ca
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.
In support of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) Israel Emergency Fund
Sebastian Picardo, president and CEO of Holt Renfrew, shares his vision for the 187-year-old company.
Entrepreneurs Daniela Angelucci Rizzi and Michelle Osei-Bonsu offer pointed words of affirmation with their brand Listen B*itch
Fab Five: These trends are sure to be among the hottest of the year.
It List: COS launches limited-edition wool collection featuring regenerative farmed wool.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
© 2024 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Nikkei Editorial
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
visit website
