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Perry said he was surprised that Canada hadn’t done more in Iraq and Syria, and wondered why Canadian military aircraft would have done more to topple Gadhafi when the Conservative government has identified ISIL as a much more dangerous threat.

“They (Canadian fighter jets) were flying at a rate of a little bit under three sorties a day in Iraq and Syria, and in Libya the figure was closer to four,” he said. “I’ve never really heard anything expressed in operational terms that would indicate they’re flying at a reduced rate for a particular reason.”

Asked to comment on Canada’s contribution and whether it matches the prime minister’s warnings about ISIL, Conservative spokesman Stephen Lecce said that under Harper’s leadership “Canada is taking action to confront those who threaten us with moral clarity, strength and resolve.

“We are proud of our men and women in uniform who undertake difficult missions to protect the security of our homeland, and the security of innocent women and children who face the daily barbarity of ISIS. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines.”

Defence officials have previously said that a U.S.-led command centre is responsible for assigning missions to all coalition aircraft. Canada is the only Western ally besides the U.S. flying missions in Syria, and Perry said a lack of intelligence inside that country could explain why Canadian aircraft aren’t flying more.

We are proud of our men and women in uniform who undertake difficult missions to protect the security of our homeland, and the security of innocent women and children who face the daily barbarity of ISIS. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines

But it could also be a question of money, Perry said. Canada is spending less on defence as a percentage of gross domestic product, the most common measure, than at any time since the Cold War. One impact is the Royal Canadian Air Force has had to dramatically scale back the flying hours for its aircraft.