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With the party headed in both directions at once, Mr. Trudeau tried Tuesday to regain control. Speaking in the House of Commons, he declared once again that “Canada has a role to play in the campaign against [ISIS],” and that Liberals support Canadian troops, but also said the mission is not in Canada’s interests and that Liberals will vote against an extension. So the party is still for the mission, but also against it.

[np_storybar title=”Stephen Harper moves to send warplanes into Syria to attack ISIS ‘safe haven’” link=”http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/24/stephen-harper-seeking-to-extend-military-mission-into-syria-so-warplanes-can-strike-isis-safe-haven/”]

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Tuesday that the government is looking to expand Canada’s military mission into Syria, sending in warplanes to strike the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Harper said the government won’t ask Bashar Al-Assad’s regime for permission before conducting airstrikes in the country.[/np_storybar]

Mr. Trudeau has himself to blame for the confusion of his position. Having set the party against the mission in October, he wanted to avoid too public a reversal when he realized he was on the wrong side of public opinion. So he tried to fudge instead. Confronted by Mr. Harper’s request for an extension, however, he had to revert to October’s position, while still trying to placate Canadians’ ongoing approval of the effort. So he attempted to fudge the fudge, both supporting and opposing involvement. His only hope is that voters dig deep enough into the small print of the Liberal stand to appreciate the nuance involved.