While the U.S. says itâs considering providing arms or other support to Syrian rebels, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says that Canada is working closely with allies but continues to oppose the idea of funding militants due to âradical Jihadistsâ making their way into the movement.
Baird told CTVâs Question Period that while the government âabhorsâ the violence used by the Syrian regime against its own people, it is growing âincreasingly alarmedâ by the number of âradical jihadistsâ joining the opposition rebel forces.
âCanada is one of the only Western countries who hasnât recognized the Syrian opposition and this is one of the reasons why: Itâs no longer just a few hundred al Qaeda affiliated people. Itâs a substantial number of radical extremists that have come from all over the world,â he said.
As the 2-year-old Syrian war continues, Baird says the Canadian government has become increasingly concerned over the fate of religious minorities in a post-Assad Syria.
When asked what proof he had that extremists were infiltrating the rebel opposition fighting against President Bashar Assad, Baird said heâs been given information showing that âitâs real and substantial.â
The ministerâs comments came hours before Israel launched another airstrike on the Syrian capital. The attack, the second in three days, targeted missiles believed to be heading into the hands of militant group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon.
Baird said itâs in everyoneâs interest that the group does not obtain weapons.
âItâs in all of our interests that Hezbollah doesnât get control heavy weapons,â he said. âTheyâre an international terrorist organization whoâve targeted women and children and civilian populations, and have threatened en masse to come and support Assad and his war against the Syrian people.â
He added that while Canada now has a âsubstantialâ amount of evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, the government will wait for all the facts before it decides on how to respond.
âThere is obviously a substantial amount of evidence coming from the Americans (and) coming from the Israelis and others that chemical weapons have been used,â he said. âWe donât have specific evidence as to who used them, though obviously we strongly suspect itâs the regime. And before any action is taken, we will be working in close concert with our allies.â
U.S. President Barack Obama indicated last week that he would consider military action against Syria if hard evidence is found that chemical weapons have been used during war. Among the possible actions would be to arm Syrian rebels with weapons and ammunition.
Last year the Canadian government committed $1 million to fund pro-democracy programs in Syria. Baird could not give specifics on how much of the money was actually spent, but said the government was doing its best to prepare âreasonable elementsâ within the opposition for a post-Assad Syria.
He said a continuing concern is the flight of Syrian refugees into neighbouring countries. Recently the government promised $13 million in funding to aid Syrian refugees in Jordan.
âItâs important that as the crisis goes on, Canada â thatâs a very prosperous country â accepts its responsibilities to provide leadership and humanitarian support,â he said.
Oppostion MPs told CTV Question Periodâs Kevin Newman that planning needs to begin for what will happen if and when Assad falls.
âWe donât want to have a void like we saw in Iraq. I wonder who is thinking about that. Our government should be leading that within the UN context,â NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar said.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said that Canada needs to be doing more to ensure that basic humanitarian needs are met when the regime falls.
âWhat replaces the Assad regime is a critical question,â Rae said. âWe need to be doing everything we can to provide for a degree of stability.â