Canadian Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau has confirmed he will withdraw Canadian fighter jets from the airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
He informed US President Barack Obama of his decision hours after leading his Liberal Party to victory in the polls, BBC reported.
As part of his election campaign, Trudeau pledged to bring home the CF-18 fighter jets that were deployed to the region until March 2016.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals swept to power in Monday’s election, ending nearly a decade of Conservative rule under Stephen Harper.
In his first telephone conversation with the US president as Canada’s prime minister-designate, Trudeau informed Barack Obama that he would make good on his election promise to withdraw the fighter jets.
“I committed that we would continue to engage in a responsible way that understands how important Canada has a role to play in the fight against IS but he [Barack Obama] understands the commitments I’ve made around ending the combat mission,” he told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday.
However, he said he would keep Canadian military trainers in northern Iraq, AFP reports.
Trudeau has also vowed to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year—a move previously rejected by his predecessor Stephen Harper who took a much harder line on the issue.
He also quipped that President Obama had “teased me about my lack of grey hair, but said I’d probably get some quite soon”.
Justin Trudeau looks set to improve relations with the US in other areas, especially on environmental issues.
