Canada and the 2026 Iran war

The United States and Israel coordinated joint attacks on Iran on 28 February 2026, which started a major war aimed at a regime change. While Canada did not officially join the war, there have been several questions in regards to potential Canadian involvement in the strikes.

Possible involvement in the strikes

Despite the Department of National Defence denying Canadian involvement in the strikes, several former military officials and journalists have questioned this claim.[1] According to retired Major-General Denis Thompson, it was likely that Canadian soldiers of the Combined Aerospace Operations Centre of the 1 Canadian Air Division gave intelligence support for the strikes on Iran and would have been "directly involved in targeting".[2] On the topic of potential Canadian involvement, former Canadian foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy wrote, "You cannot embed Canadian officers in U.S. war-fighting headquarters, plug Canadian intelligence into targeting processes, then wash your hands when missiles fly. If Canadian personnel helped plan, analyze or enable an operation, Canada is implicated — whether or not a Canadian finger was on the trigger.”[3]

Presence of Canadian soldiers at sites attacked by Iran

According to a CBC News report citing the Canadian Department of National Defence's website, members of the Canadian soldiers of the Combined Aerospace Operations Centre of the 1 Canadian Air Division were present at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar the time of the Iranian attack as were Canadian soldiers working at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain when Iran stuck the headquarters.[4] On 3 March 2026, Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed Canadian military presence in the Middle East and confirmed that they hadn't suffered any casualties. McGuinty also stated that the Canadian Armed Forces will “assess any potential impacts on CAF personnel in the region."[5] Later that day, an Iranian missile struck Al Udeid Air Base but did not cause any casualties.[6] On 12 March 2026, it was revealed that the Camp Canada military base located within the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was struck by Iranian missiles on 2 March 2026. During the attack, Canadian soldiers took shelter inside bunkers and suffered no casualties. Satellite images showed that Canadian bunkers had been damaged during the attack.[7] After the news of strikes was made public, the Canadian government is faced criticism for not being transparent about the attack.[8]

Official position

On 3 March 2026, during a visit to Australia, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the war as a "failure of the international order" and claimed that the United States had not consulted its allies before striking Iran.[9]

On 4 March 2026, Carney stated that Canada would not rule out military involvement in the 2026 Iran war and that Canada "will stand by our allies, when it makes sense."[10]

On 5 March 2026, Chief of the Defence Staff General Jennie Carignan stated that Canada "may be called on to help defend Persian Gulf states from Iran's strikes" and that the situation in the gulf states is "quite dire and dangerous."[11]

On 9 March 2026, Canadian defense minister David McGuinty stated that Canada "will not be participating" in the Iran war despite Mark Carney's prior comments about not ruling out military involvement.[12]

On 10 March 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada "is not participating in the United States and Israeli offensive and will never participate in it."[13]

Criticisms

The official Canadian position on the Iran war has been met with several criticisms due to shifting positions on involvement.

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong accused Carney of contradicting himself and holding an "utterly incoherent position on Iran over the past few days."[14]

Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre accused Carney of "confusing our allies and dividing Canadians" by repeatedly shifting positions on the strikes. Poilievre also added, "Now he has gone into hiding, having failed to speak a single word in tonight’s debate. In this time of crisis, Canadians deserve to know where the prime minister stands."[15]

NDP foreign affairs critic Alexandre Boulerice stated that the NDP was disappointed with the Prime Minister's response to the war.[16]

Former Canadian foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy described the Canadian government's official response to the Iran war as "very confusing."[17]

References

  1. ^ "Canada could be called on to help defend Gulf states, says top military commander". CBC News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026. Questions about Canada's potential involvement have been percolating since Carney addressed a question during a news conference in Australia Thursday local time.
  2. ^ "Did Canadian exchange officers participate in U.S. Iran strike planning? DND says no, but questions linger". CBC News. 1 March 2026. Archived from the original on 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026. "Unless the Canadian government said, 'No, you cannot be directly engaged in this conflict,' then … typically, when we attach officers to another military and they go to war and the prime minister endorses this attack, then it's quite likely that they're actively engaged in the targeting process," Thompson told CBC News. He said Canada has members of three branches of the military — army, navy and air force —attached to CENTCOM and "we specifically have staff officers inside what's known as the Combined Aerospace Operations Center ... so, they are going to be directly involved in targeting."
  3. ^ "The little we know about Canadian troops stationed in the Middle East". City News Halifax. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026. In a Toronto Star article citing Thompson's comments, former foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy said Canadians deserve clarity. "You cannot embed Canadian officers in U.S. war-fighting headquarters, plug Canadian intelligence into targeting processes, then wash your hands when missiles fly," Axworthy wrote. "If Canadian personnel helped plan, analyze or enable an operation, Canada is implicated — whether or not a Canadian finger was on the trigger."
  4. ^ "Did Canadian exchange officers participate in U.S. Iran strike planning? DND says no, but questions linger". CBC News. 1 March 2026. Archived from the original on 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026. The Department of National Defence website shows that as many as 18 military personnel with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are attached to Operation Foundation, working at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and at the Combined Aerospace Operations Centre (CAOC) at Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.
  5. ^ "Canadian troops in Middle East 'are all fine' amid Iran war, McGuinty says". Global News. 3 March 2026. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  6. ^ Rios, Michael (3 March 2026). "Iranian missile hits largest US military base in Middle East, Qatar says". CNN. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Canadian military instillation in Kuwait hit by Iranian missiles". Western Standard. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Canadian government grilled for secrecy over Kuwait airbase attack". Iran International. 2026-03-13. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  9. ^ "Canada PM Carney says Iran conflict a failure of the international order". Reuters. 4 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Canada won't rule out military participation in Middle East conflict: PM Carney". CTV News. 4 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Canada could be called on to help defend Gulf states, says top military commander". CBC News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Canada 'will not be participating' in Iran war, defence minister says". Global News. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Canada will 'never participate' in Iran offensive, Carney says". CTV News. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Canada could be called on to help defend Gulf states, says top military commander". CBC News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026. Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong accused Carney of contradicting himself and holding an utterly incoherent position on Iran over the past few days.
  15. ^ "Poilievre calls out PM Carney for his absence during debate on Iran war". CTV News. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Canada's Stance on the War in Iran – March 10, 2026". CPAC. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  17. ^ "Former foreign affairs minister criticizes Canada's 'confusing' response to Iran war". CTV News. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
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