It’s “opposition day” in the Canadian House of Commons, and the Conservatives plan to use it to put the pressure back on scandal-plagued Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan to resign.
Since his false claim about having a prominent role in a major battle in Afghanistan, critics have attacked Sajjan for other statements he has made in the past and declared his tenure in charge of Canadian defense a failure for failing to adequately fund the military.
Conservative defense critic James Bezan is ready to table a votable non-confidence motion against Sajjan Monday that Members of Parliament (MPs) from all parties can consider. Though the Liberal majority is expected to support the defense minister, the motion will allow the opposition to target Sajjan and demand his resignation, as it every day last week.
Speaking with The Daily Caller on Monday, Bezan said every day that Sajjan continues to run the Canadian Armed Forces brings further harm to the military.
“It is unfortunate that the situation has got to this point. It has been well recognized that Minister Sajjan has a record of misleading Canadians, said Bezan. “His comments about his role in Operation MEDUSA are the latest and most offensive in a series of alternative facts. I have been hearing from active military members, veterans, and their families who have completely lost trust in the Minister’s ability to act with transparency.”
But Bezan reiterated that it is not just about Sajjan’s outrageous statements about the Afghanistan battle.
“Minister Sajjan has on several occasions misled Canadians to achieve the Liberal’s political aspirations. He fabricated a capability gap in our fleet fighter jets, he completely lied about his consultations with our allies when withdrawing from the bombing mission against ISIS, and broke his promise to restore the full the danger pay to soldiers deployed in the fight against ISIS,” said Bezan.
The opposition defense critic emphasized that “the minister’s behavior has demoralized the entire military community. Veterans and active military members are outraged and this motion is being put forward on behalf of all those who have been offended by the defense minister. The military doesn’t trust him, Canadians won’t believe him. We need a defense minister that can be trusted.”
Sajjan’s spokeswoman Jordan Owens promised that his boss would be in the House on Monday and make a brief statement but that he was planning to concentrate on the Liberal government’s defense policy review that critics say will be more window-dressing from Trudeau and offer no new funding for Canada’s military.
“While the opposition chooses to focus on a mistake for which Minister Sajjan has already apologized, our government continues to deliver results for Canadians, especially our women and men in uniform,” Owens said in an email to The Ottawa Citizen.