While Europe tries to cope with a huge influx of refugees fleeing war in the Middle East, Canadians appear torn as to the direction the nation should take in the fight against the Islamic State and how to respond to refugees.
Recently elected Conservative Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs (who is set to be sworn in to government on Nov. 30), says her party believes Canada needs to stay in the fight with its allies, and spoke out against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to withdraw the CF18 fighter jets from the U.S.-led coalition bombing Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq.
“I think it’s difficult for all of us to comprehend what’s happening there,” says Stubbs, adding, “It’s unimaginable, horrific. We have a duty to fight with our allies.”
Trudeau announced the plan to pull out the CF18s shortly after the election wrapped up, despite calls from other countries, such as Belgium, to stay in that mission, says Stubbs.
But, according to numerous media outlets, Trudeau said last week that Canada will keep doing “more than its part” to defend against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIL or ISIS, by expanding ground troops training in Iraq.
“We would all welcome information about the plan to expand (ground troops),” says Stubbs. But she said that air support via the CF18s is still an important part of the fight. She adds that public debate about Canada’s role in the Middle East is needed.
Stubbs says she believes the same process should have been followed to determine if the CF18s were pulled from the mission, as the process that occurred to send them on the mission in the first place.
“People are being terrorized,” says Stubbs, adding, the fight is one for human rights, which also leads to a second issue being discussed heavily among Canadians – refugees fleeing the Middle East and seeking asylum in other countries.
Trudeau announced that Canada would be accepting 25,000 refugees by the end of the year, but there has been opposition to the plan, with some saying it’s rushed and could result in a threat to national security.
“We have accepted refugees from that region since last year,” says Stubbs, adding, Canada has been providing humanitarian aid to those in need, at world-leading levels.
But, she believes the nation’s safety should be the government’s “number one priority.”
Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose has spoken out, saying she believes an increase in public information about the country’s involvement in the fight, and clarity on refugees coming into Canada, is needed to ease tensions.
Stubbs agreed with Ambrose, saying the government shouldn’t rush with bringing refugees into the country, but should move ahead “intelligently” and “carefully,” taking time to ensure resources are in place for any refugees who do arrive in Canada.
The local MP added that the Conservative party would likely support the prime minister if he didn’t have a specific target for a specific time. Instead, Canadians should be assured that there are safety measures in place, and that the country is responsibly accepting people.
Stubbs says she also supports a prioritization of the most vulnerable refugees coming to Canada, such as women, children, elderly, and minorities. Personally, Stubbs says she has heard quite a bit of feedback from constituents who have “very deep concerns.”
She notes that people are being terrorized and they need assistance. But, at the same time, many Canadians want to see a balance of their own rights and freedoms.
What the Conservative party would like to see happen now is a debate on the issues, so that all Members of Parliament can express the priorities and concerns of their constituents, says Stubbs.
Uncertainty remains in Cold Lake as the city waits to see whether or not they'll be chosen to host some of the Syrian refugees.
“If I was a betting person, we only have about a 25 per cent chance of being involved with this. If they do come, though, I'm not surprised because we have the facilities,” said Cold Lake mayor Craig Copeland. “We're the largest city after Lloydminster in Northeastern Alberta with one of the best air strips here and if they're going to bring in people from Europe, if Cold Lake is tasked with a job, I think we'll be a process centre.”
While they haven't heard anything official, CFB 4 Wing was asked to find out how many beds would be available. Copeland said the city was also approached by a federal bureaucrat to discuss Cold Lake’s capacity, however, it's something he believes many communities have been asked.
Last week, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced that the majority of the 2,500 to 3,000 refugees coming into the province would be housed in Calgary and Edmonton. The remainder will be divided between Lethbridge, Red Deer and Medicine Hat.
Estimating that the base can house around 1,500 people in empty units and at the cadet training camp, the mayor said that number of people is unlikely.
“If Cold Lake were to get a number I'd be surprised if it was more than 500. Maybe they're going to fly these people into Cold Lake and then Cold Lake has everybody coming in over a series of weeks and just processing the people, sending them on to bigger centres. I don't know,” said Copeland.
On the national level, MPs are also feeling left in the dark. Fort McMurray – Cold Lake MP David Yurdiga is still waiting to hear about his local riding.
“I'm not getting much information back from the current government. A lot of us are still pondering what their plan is, there's so much uncertainty at this point,” said Yurdiga. “I know there's been some discussions on using the base as staging areas but I haven't heard anything official.”
Currently, Alberta is responsible for 3,000 of the 25,000 refugees that are expected to arrive in Canada from their war-torn country by the New Year. Reception centres have already been designated in each of the five Alberta cities by the federal government, but the final numbers of how many people each community will be taking in had yet to be announced as of Nov. 19.
Yurdiga echoes the same sentiments as Stubbs does regarding the Liberal government’s quick manner in bringing refugees into Canada.
“I'm not against bringing in refugees, we just have to make sure we do our jobs and ensure everyone's safety is taken into consideration,” he says.
After a full month of the election wrapping up, Stubbs says she has yet to set up an office within the Lakeland Riding, and is still considering where that office will be, due to a number of factors.
The office location will likely be chosen based on geography and Stubbs says she is mindful that the riding includes a number of communities that were previously in different ridings.
On Friday, Stubbs was also named to the Conservative party’s Shadow Cabinet and Critics list. She will be serving as the deputy critic of Natural Resources.
