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OTTAWA — NDP leader Tom Mulcair slammed the Conservative government’s proposal to send Canadian war planes to Iraq on Friday, urging that Canada should “not rush into this war.”

Mulcair’s comments came after Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s much anticipated speech in the House of Commons, where he laid out his case for a Canadian combat mission. Harper is promising a fixed six-month window for air strikes in Iraq — and possibly Syria — with no ground combat. Mulcair savaged the government for having been so tight-lipped about its intentions towards combat.

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“The prime minister hasn’t outlined a broad strategic blueprint for the mission,” Mulcair said. “He can’t even answer basic questions about the length or breadth or cost of Canada’s military deployment.”

Mulcair said the strife in the Middle East has been happening for generations and won’t end with another war in the region.

And should the Syrian government give its blessing to air strikes within its borders, Canadian CF-18s would be striking targets there, too.