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Mr. Trudeau accused the prime minister of “playing politics” and refusing to address key questions such as: How has Canada offered to help the U.S. military? How long would Canada’s combat mission last? What difference would Canada’s CF-18s make to the coalition’s objectives?

“Mr. Harper is intent on taking Canada to war in Iraq. He needs to justify that. He has not made the case for it. He hasn’t even tried,” he said.

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The Liberal leader departed from the formality of his speech with an off-colour joke when questioned by the event moderator on whether his party will support a combat mission.

“Why aren’t we talking more about the kind of humanitarian aid that Canada can and must be engaged in?” he asked those at the conference.

“Rather than, you know, trying to whip out our CF-18s and show them how big they are. It just doesn’t work like that in Canada.”

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“Canada has asked a lot of our men and women in uniform over the last decade. And too often they have returned home only to be let down. If we are to ask more of them now, we had better have a good reason.”

Later at the Canada 2020 conference, Jason Kenney, the federal employment minister, said he was “disturbed” by Mr. Trudeau’s wisecrack.