Rick Hillier says ISIS leadership must be 'decapitated' to deal with refugee crisis

Retired general Rick Hillier, former chief of defence staff, says the ISIS leadership has to be "decapitated" to battle the growing refugee crisis in Syria, and the Canadian Forces should play a bigger role in combating the Sunni jihadist group.

The comments were made in Winnipeg on Tuesday while Hillier spoke on "leadership in tough times" at the Manitoba Building Expo luncheon.

Hillier, who served in the Canadian Forces for 35 years, said a major step in dealing with the refugee crisis is actively battling ISIS — something Canada needs to take more leadership in.

"If we are not going to do those things, then that means we are relying on someone else to do the hard things, even though we realize they have to be done," he said. "You have to decapitate that ISIS leadership the best way you can. Until you do that, it is almost impossible to deal with Syria, and therefore the hundreds of thousands and millions of refugees who are leaving the country and trying to get away from the terror and the violence and the starvation."

Hillier reiterated calls for the federal government to bring in 50,000 Syrian refugees by Christmas, something he's been suggesting for weeks.

"I think we have to be more active in bringing refugees who are desperately fleeing for their lives into Canada and doing it more quickly," he said. "All three of the main parties' leaders say yes they are going to do it. I say, 'Great. Awesome. Do more.'"

The retired general's comments come a day after 24 Syrian refugees arrived in Winnipeg thanks to one year of efforts from interfaith group Refuge Winnipeg. The group managed to raise $100,000 to bring three families to the city.

But the national picture comes nowhere near the refugee numbers Hillier is proposing.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has reported that more than 2,400 Syrians were resettled in Canada since January 2014, and most of them were privately sponsored.

The federal government said it plans to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees by late 2016.