It was a significant week for the Conservatives last week, as they were able to force the Liberal government to support their opposition motion to start bringing in Yazidi refugees. The Yazidis are a religious minority based in northern Iraq and are a target for ISIS. According to the United Nations, ISIS is seeking to “erase the identity” of the Yazidi community through killings, sexual slavery, and other crimes.
It’s unfortunate that it has taken the Liberal government a full year to act on this issue. While the Trudeau Liberals pat themselves on the back for welcoming thousands of refugees to Canada, they’ve been ignoring those who need Canada’s help the most. Immigration Minister John McCallum promised Canada would start to bring in Yazidi refugees within 4 months – let’s hope this isn’t another broken promise.
Speaking of broken promises – during last year’s election, Justin Trudeau promised to end Canada’s combat mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. However, during a briefing this month, military officers revealed Canadian special forces troops have been spending more time on the front lines and engaging in more firefights against ISIS. The Liberal government has refused provide further details about the mission. When asked about the lack of transparency, Prime Minister Trudeau simply accused the previous government of putting the Canadian Forces in harm’s way. How much longer can the Trudeau government blame the previous government for their own shortcomings? It’s sad and childish to blame Stephen Harper for everything…
Conservative MP and former Minister of Public Safety, Steven Blaney, officially launched his Conservative Leadership campaign by announcing his first major policy position – a ban on the niqab in the public service and while voting. Although there may be dozens of more pressing issues Mr. Blaney could’ve focused on instead of the niqab, he also mentioned the need to boost security measures in Canada and improve the citizenship test – discussions worth having.
