What happens next in Syria is not Canada’s concern, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says.
Poilievre comments came after Syrian rebels reached Damascus and forced dictator Bashar al-Assad out of the country 24 years after he assumed power over the fragmented Middle Eastern country.
The Assad family ruled over Syria for 50 years, while the country’s civil war raged on for 13 years before the government fell officially Sunday.
When asked what Canada should do to ensure stability in the region, Poilievre said Canada shouldn’t intervene, an illuminating comment about what the foreign policy of a potential Conservative government would look like.
“First of all, Assad was a puppet for the tyrants of Tehran (Iran). He has carried out genocides against the Sunni people in his own country, and now he appears to have been toppled,” Poilievre said. “We don’t know who will replace him, but I don’t think we should get involved in that mess. It’s not our fight.”
Recent reports suggest that Assad has fled the country and has been granted asylum by Moscow.
Poilievre said it’s crucial for Canada to continue to support its allies, including Israel, against terrorists but should focus on “protecting our own country.”
“After nine years of Trudeau, we’ve never been so vulnerable and so at risk. He lost control of our borders, lost control of our spending, lost control of our security, lost control of crime,” he said. “He’s allowed terrorists to come into our country even after they’ve been videotaped mutilating human beings in other parts of the world.”
The previous Conservative government, led by Stephen Harper, advocated isolating the Assad regime but stopped short of direct military intervention in its civil war.
Harper’s government also joined the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, contributing airstrikes in Syria to the military campaign, all while providing humanitarian aid to the nation.
Poilievre reiterated the importance of putting Canada’s interests front and centre.
“What we need now is a strong leader who will put Canada first,” Poilievre said. “My only concern is Canada. We need a change of prime minister who will put this country and its people first. And that’s what I will do.”
According to Immigration and Citizenship Canada, over 44,000 Syrian refugees were resettled in Canada from Nov. 4, 2015, to Feb. 29, 2016, due to the Syrian civil war.
A Statistics Canada study in January found that 50.4% of the 2015 arrivals from Syria were still receiving government assistance in 2020. The 2016 group was more likely to benefit from taxpayer assistance, with 69.5% on the government dole in the same year.
Poilievre’s statements nearly mirrored those of President-elect Donald Trump, who also vowed to adopt a non-interventionist approach to the change in leadership.
“Syria is a mess but is not our friend, and the United States should have nothing to do with it,” Trump posted on social media. “This is not our fight. Let it play out. Do not get involved.’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement as well, celebrating the defeat of the Assad regime.
“The fall of Assad’s dictatorship ends decades of brutal oppression. A new chapter for Syria can begin here — one free of terrorism and suffering for the Syrian people,” he said. “We urge order, stability, and respect for human rights.”
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham reportedly is the organization that led the rebel group that ousted Assad and is described as an Islamic Sunni fundamentalist group. HTS’ leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, was an al-Qaeda fighter. A US-issued US$10 million, $14 million Canadian bounty on Golani remains in place.
Trudeau said Canada will be monitoring this transition “closely.”
Despite the prime minister heralding an end to suffering and terrorism in Syria, Canada issued a travel advisory on Monday to avoid all travel to the country “due to ongoing armed conflict, terrorism, criminality, arbitrary detention, torture and forced disappearance.”