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That trend has continued in office. From dropping highly charged legal appeals — the niqab case being the most famous example — to repealing laws that had become lightning rods for favoured client groups (e.g. bills requiring greater transparency in the affairs of unions and native bands) to such relatively minor irritants as the monument to the victims of Communism in Ottawa or the “Mother Canada” statue in Cape Breton, the Trudeau government has at all times been at pains to remind voters of the differences between itself and the government that preceded it, at least so long as this does not require much actual change in direction.

The lengths to which it is prepared to go in this regard are best illustrated in the continuing silliness over the mission against ISIL. The platform was unequivocal on this point: “We will end Canada’s combat mission in Iraq.” More specifically, the Liberals had promised to withdraw Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets from the mission, though from the time they made the promise they have yet to make any serious attempt to explain why: why others should fight in the region while we do not; why flying combat sorties is not where our “competitive advantage” lies, though our pilots are among the world’s most skilled and our allies have specifically requested they continue; nor any other of the host of questions it raised.

But of course they haven’t; of course they can’t. The truth is the policy was solely intended to distinguish them from the other parties, neither so gung ho as the Conservatives nor so cravenly pacifist as the NDP. Which is why when what the Liberals are pleased to call their new “policy” is announced next week, it will look like such ludicrous mush: withdrawing our own fighter jets (on precisely the schedule the mission was originally projected to end), but leaving in place the planes that refuel and guide those of other nations; doubling the number of “trainers,” whose actual work of painting targets for bombing runs looks a lot like combat; perhaps even sending an army battalion.