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Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says whatever Canada decides to do in Iraq and Syria will have a “ripple effect” across the entire region, and while the government wants to make sure Canada’s contribution is meaningful, it also doesn’t want to make the situation worse.

The Afghan veteran and former Vancouver police detective made the comments in his first public speech as defence minister, as questions continue around what shape Canada’s military contributions to the fight against the Islamic State will take in the coming weeks.

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Speaking at a major foreign policy conference organized by the Canada2020 think-tank, Sajjan drew heavily on his experience in Afghanistan, saying Canada and its allies had done a poor job grasping the ramifications of their actions in various conflicts.

“Should we be patting ourselves on the back?” he said. “From a security perspective around the world, I think we can say things have not gotten much better. Things have gotten worse.”