Mission Creep in Libya and Tory Decision-Making

The Harper government skipped any vote in Parliament on decision to commit Canadian Forces to the military intervention in Libya. It was said that the other parties supported the decision, and in any event, who wouldn't support a U.N. sanctioned humanitarian intervention aimed at preventing the massacre of civilians? It was, after all, justified on the basis of the new international principle, the Responsibility to Protect, which Canada played a large role in developing.

Now, however, the pressure is mounting on NATO allies to rachet up the air strikes, and to target the military hardware of the Qaddafi forces in an effort to break the stalemate developing in Libya. Foreign Minister Lawrnece Cannon is leaving the campaign trail to attend a couple of major meetings to discuss the way forward. France and the U.K. in particular are calling for NATO forces to strike Qaddafi miligary targets for the purpose of aiding the rebels and breaking the deadlock. Even the U.S. has suggested that Qaddafi's departure is a pre-condition to any peace agreement.


Now, it will be recalled that the U.N. Security Council resolution (resolution 1973) is very clear in authorizing the use of all necessary measures (U.N. language for the use of armed force) to protect civilians. It does not authorize the use of force in support of a rebel insurgency, or for the purpose of effecting regime change in Libya. Moreover, in the absence of such U.N. authorization, military intervention in support of an insurgency would be unlawful under international law.

So, as the military operations in Libya begin to show increasing signs of mission creep, and the Tory government comes under international pressure to commit our forces to operations that are not authorized by the U.N., a public debate is called for. The Harper government cannot unilaterally decide to enage in an armed conflict that is increasingly outside of the scope of U.N. authority, and is no longer about the immediate and urgent protection of civilians, without the endorsement of parliament and a full public debate on the issue.The Tory government must answer to the Canadian people about what it is suggesting we do, and what its justifications are for recommending we do so. And since we are in the midst of an election, this issue should be a subject for discussion in the campaign. The media has a role to play in ensuring that the issue is addressed. - CM.