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General Lawson said in military jargon, combat is defined as an operation where “the use of force is essential to accomplish the mission.”

He said in the cases under discussion, special forces were carrying weaponry but responded only in self-defence.

Jack Harris, the NDP’s defence critic, noted that of 262 sorties by Canadian fighters, only 25 have included airstrikes. He asked if this is a good use of resources, and was told by General Lawson that this is indicative of the success of the mission. The general said Islamic State forces have been taking cover to avoid the air strikes. “ISIL is finding it difficult to bring its forces to bear,” he said. “Our aircraft have been very effective.”

The committee meeting was also notable for highlighting what a mess the Liberals have gotten themselves in. Marc Garneau, the Liberal point man, did a reasonable impression of Stephen Leacock’s Lord Ronald, who flung himself upon his horse and rode off madly in all directions.

He opened his questions with a preface that stated the Liberal Party supports the job our special forces are doing in Iraq. But he then proceeded to express his party’s opposition to the mission.

It’s not clear to me, or apparently to many Liberal supporters, how they intend to extricate themselves from the tangled web they have woven.

The NDP has no such qualms, remaining unapologetic about its unflinching opposition to the mission.

“We’ve identified ourselves as an outlier,” said Mr. Harris, as he emerged from the committee meeting, pointing out that the American and British say they have not permitted their special forces troops to engage the enemy. “That puts us in the limelight and may well provide more comments from ISIL people promoting attacks [on Canada].”

For now, the main beneficiary of the Iraq mission is the Harper government.

But that is not unusual in the early stages of a low risk mission. Owning it may be less attractive, should the wheels start coming off. “The positive effects politically won’t disappear overnight but they are not likely to endure in the long term,” said EKOS’ Mr. Graves.

National Post