Libyan mission a 'moral duty,' MacKay says

The mission to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya is the right thing to do, Defence Minister Peter MacKay told the House of Commons Monday.

MacKay kicked off a debate on Canada's involvement in the international military mission just hours after four CF-18 jets flew their first sortie in Libyan airspace.

"We are compelled to intervene," MacKay said, both by a moral duty and a duty to the United Nations. "Canada's very fortunate to be in a position to respond."

MacKay said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is on full warning of the measures the world will take to hold him and his regime to account.

New technology should make it easier to avoid hitting civilians during the operations, he said, but the Canadian Forces are aiming for the least possible impact on civilians.

The CF-18s, which flew out of a base in Trapani, Italy, did not fire shots or conduct any bombing, instead serving as armed escorts for fighters of another nation that conducted the bombing. But Canadian planes are expected to begin bombing missions as soon as Monday night.

Four CF-18 jets, plus two refuellers, took part in the mission, MacKay said earlier Monday.

MacKay said he expects NATO will eventually take over the mission.

"Will it morph into a NATO-led mission? Remains to be seen," MacKay said. "There has been, shall we say, some divergent opinion as to when and where this will occur, but it is my understanding that this mission may well morph into a NATO-led mission."

HMCS Charlottetown, deployed to the region to help with the humanitarian mission, is there as part of a NATO mission.

U.S. President Barack Obama told reporters Monday he expects another ally will soon take over the American-led mission.

Six more CF-18s are on standby in Canada and set to deploy if they're needed, MacKay said, though he said there's no "formal" plan to use them right now.

MacKay also responded to concerns the Arab League didn't support the operation's bombings in Libya

"My most recent information tells me that the Arab League have now re-confirmed their support for Resolution 1973 from the United Nations Security Council, which includes the no-fly zone.

"I know there's several interpretations of what [Arab League leader] Amr Moussa has said and the support for the no-fly zone, but I think that has been clarified, and I think you will find unanimity around the necessity of enforcement for the no-fly zone," MacKay said.

Canadian fighter jets have been deployed to help enforce a United Nations resolution establishing a no-fly zone over Libya. U.S., British and French forces launched missile strikes on Libyan defences Saturday.

The CF-18 deployment was authorized Friday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who informed opposition party leaders of the decision to deploy the planes and 150 personnel from CFB Bagotville in Quebec. Harper said Parliament would be consulted this week about the deployment. The House of Commons was not sitting Friday.

MacKay said on Sunday that the CF-18s, now stationed at a base in Italy, would begin enforcing the no-fly zone within 48 hours. Canadian fighter jets are expected to take flight once the military has approved systems for rules of engagement, command and control, as well as identifying friendly or hostile forces.

The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois support the CF-18 deployment but have expressed reservations about what else Canada's role in Libya might involve. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said his party supported "air interdiction" but was not in favour of Canada committing ground troops.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon indicated, in an interview on CBC Radio's The House that aired Saturday, that Canada is "open to all options" in responding to the Libyan crisis. When asked by host Kathleen Petty if that includes "boots on the ground," Cannon said if that were required to "protect citizens that are being literally murdered by [Libyan leader Moammar] Gadhafi, that's what the resolution calls for."

The UN resolution calls for "all necessary measures" to be used to protect civilians, but it doesn't specify whether ground troops are among those measures. At a meeting in Paris on Saturday, world leaders, including Harper, made it clear the no-fly actions would not include a ground force.

The prime minister also warned the mission could bring casualties on both sides.

"We should not kid ourselves. Whenever we engage in military action — essentially acts of war — these are difficult situations," Harper said in Paris.