CREDIT: LIENKIE / ISTOCK EDITORIAL / THINKSTOCK
Prime Minister Trudeau said the Canadian government will pull all CF-18 fighter jets out of the mission against ISIL.

While the Conservative government was in power they promised to contribute six Canadian CF-18 fighter jets to the global coalition against ISIL until the end of March.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a campaign promise to pull Canadian fighter jets out of the mission, although it was undetermined when that would happen.

In a statement made on Feb. 8, Trudeau stated that the jets would be removed from the mission by Feb. 22 at the latest. “It is important to understand that while airstrike operations can be very useful to achieve short-term military and territorial gains, they do not on their own achieve long-term stability for local communities.”

Trudeau reassured that Canadians would still be a part of the coalition, but in a way that makes sense for Canada. “Our new policy in Iraq, Syria and the surrounding region reflects what Canada is all about: defending our interests alongside our allies, and working constructively with local partners to build real solutions that will last. We will work with allies to defeat ISIL and the terrorist threat it represents. At the same time, we will help address the needs of millions of vulnerable people while helping lay the foundations for improved governance, economic growth and longer-term stability.”

The Liberals will also be ramping up Canada’s involvement on the ground, promising to triple the boots on the ground training local Kurdish soldiers.

And in keeping with Trudeau’s guarantee that “Canada is back”, the Liberals have declared that they will help those most affected by the crises by “[delivering] $840-million in humanitarian assistance over the next three years to support the basic needs of those hardest hit by the conflicts” and “[delivering] $270-million over the next three years to build local capacity to provide basic social services” such as education, health, water and sanitation, as stated in the official statement on the Prime Minister of Canada’s website.

Trudeau has had a lot of pressure to keep the fighter jets in the coalition but spoke with confidence on his decision to remove them.

“Our new approach to Iraq, Syria and the surrounding region will be challenging and dangerous at times. There will be lessons learned as we adapt to changing circumstances on the ground. I am confident that we are up to these challenges and that we will show the world all that Canada can accomplish in a crisis situation.”