OTTAWA - Parliament will vote Monday on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's motion to begin Canadian airstrikes in Iraq. But the Conservative majority makes the combat mission a near certainty.
As Canada prepares for the proposed deployment, which Harper said could last "up to" six months, opposition leaders are warning against repeating history.
On Friday, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair compared the planned airstrikes with the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq.
"All of the other horrors unfolding before our eyes are the result of that failed invasion," he said.
Liberal leader Trudeau also spoke about American involvement in Iraq.
"We cannot make the wrong decision now, because the wrong decision was made then," he said.
The Green Party's Elizabeth May was the only leader to mention Canada's last combat mission: the 2011 airstrikes in Libya. She noted that Canada was involved in a mission that created more anti-western feelings in the region.
The mission in Libya was originally supposed to last 90 days, but was eventually extended to seven months. During that time, Canada sent three pairs of CF-18s and a spare, for a total of seven of the fighter jets, in addition to other naval and air equipment. At the mission's peak, over 650 Canadian Forces personnel were deployed.
Operation Mobile officially ended Oct. 31, after the death of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Canada's contribution to the air and sea campaign cost a total of $347 million.
And though the end of the mission was celebrated with an $850,000 Parliament Hill party, three years later, Libya has been overrun with violence between militia groups and extremists fighting for control of the country.
These interactive charts show the numbers behind the Libya mission:
