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By John Ogunsemore
Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney has declined to rule out his nation’s military participation in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Carney, who is visiting Australia, spoke alongside Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Thursday.
However, he described any such scenario of participation as a “fundamental hypothetical”.
“One can never categorically rule out participation,” Carney stated when asked if there were circumstances under which Canada might join military action.
He emphasised that Canada would “stand by our allies, when it makes sense,” while adding that his government would “always defend Canadians.”
Carney spoke amid a rapidly escalating war that began with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets over the weekend, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials of the regime.
The strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and military infrastructure, with both the US and Israel citing the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to counter threats to regional stability.
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Earlier this week, the Canadian PM expressed support for the US actions “with regret,” describing the conflict as a demonstration of the “failure of the rules-based international order.”
He noted that the strikes appeared “inconsistent with international law” and that the US had not consulted allies, including Canada, in advance.
Carney reiterated Canada’s long-standing opposition to Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
However, Carney has consistently maintained that Canada was not involved in the planning or execution of the initial strikes and does not envision direct participation at present.
“We have not been party to the military build-up to this or the military planning of this, so it is not envisioned that we would be part of it moving forward,” he said in earlier remarks from Mumbai, India.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Anita Anand echoed this position, stating that Canada “wasn’t involved, we weren’t notified and we do not have an intention to be involved” in military operations against Iran.
Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed that Canadian personnel in the Middle East are safe and out of harm’s way, with no involvement in the US-led actions.
Carney’s trip is part of a multi-country tour of the Asia-Pacific aimed at reducing reliance on the United States and China. He arrived Australia after visiting India.
