Article content

Retired general Rick Hillier has called on all three federal parties to commit Canada to accepting 50,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year.

“I wonder why we, as the great country that we are, could not stand tall during these dark days for the hundreds of thousands of displaced souls who are fleeing, quite literally, for their very lives,” Hillier said on Facebook. “Each of our federal leaders has said we must do more, so let’s do it.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or The Gargoyle: Rick Hillier wants Canada to accept 50,000 refugees by end of year Back to video

Hillier urged Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to set aside their differences and “agree to bring 50,000 of those frightened men women and children to Canada … by end-December.”

Hillier, whose three-year term as defence chief coincided with the height of Canada’s war in Afghanistan and whose popularity in military circles was matched only by his outspokenness, called for a cross-government approach involving the military, RCMP, Department of Foreign Affairs and other departments.