NDP to Conservatives: Bring debate on Syria to Parliament

OTTAWA—With the Prime Minister now musing about Canada participating in military action in Syria, NDP leader Tom Mulcair is demanding the House of Commons be immediately recalled.

“Canadians, and people around the world, are watching events in Syria with great concern and condemning these brutal attacks on civilians,” said the Leader of the Official Opposition. “Engaging in military action is one of the most serious decisions one can be faced with. Prime Minister Harper should be bringing this debate to parliament, not discussing it with himself at a press conference.”

New Democrats have been arguing that parliament should be recalled immediately to debate the best role Canada can play in helping resolve the crisis in Syria.

“In the meantime, Canada should focus on diplomatic work and providing humanitarian relief for the hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to flee the violence,” said the NDP’s Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar. “And we must work with our partners in the United Nations on a multilateral basis. The only way a lasting solution will be found to this crisis is through diplomacy.”