ISIS atrocities in Iraq: What's Canada's next move?

As attacks and atrocities fromextremist group ISIS mount in Iraq, Canada'spolitical leaders have all offered strong words of condemnation.

Speaking to reporters in Whitehorse on Thursday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper described ISIS's tactics as "unspeakable barbarism."

"The desire to essentially commit genocide against any group of people in the region who are different,these are shocking developments," the prime minister said.

"It's a deplorable situation," Opposition Leader Tom Mulcairsaid during an event in Amherstburg, Ont.,"and Ithink that Canadashould continue to work with our allies."

Canada is in "ongoing contact" with its allies, as official government tweets and otherstatements repeat, and"together, we will be announcing additional stepsthat we will be able to take with them in the days ahead."

But what steps?

Humanitarian assistance

"What I think Canada needs to do, most important in terms of changing the dynamics, is to provide humanitarian aid now, because it'sneeded nownot weeks from now or months from nowit's needed right now for people who are suffering and have been the victims of barbaric acts," New Democrat Peter Julian said Thursday on CBC News Network'sPower and Politics.

"I thinkCanada could do much more," he said.

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On Aug.10, International Development Minister Christian Paradisannounced a $5 million contribution toaid organizations already establishedin Iraq. Of that, $2.25 million was to be "immediately allocated."

The remaining $2.75 million would be spentafter "consultations" with the government's "partners in Iraq." Two weeks on,no additional information has been available from the government.

Thatannouncement brought to $16 million the amount of Canadian assistance to Iraq since the start of 2014:$6.8 million focused on "victims of civil unrest"and $9.5 million for programs to refugees from the continuing conflict in Syria who had fled to neighbouring Iraq.

(In comparison: Since January 2012, Canada has spent$353.5million onhumanitarian assistance in response to the conflict in Syria.)

Support for refugees

Julian also criticized Canada's slow response on the refugee front.

"We've certainly seen with both the Syrianconflict and in Iraq an opportunity for Canada to accept more refugees, and that has been slow in terms of the numbers of people who could actually come and re-establishthemselves here in Canada."

On Tuesday, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said Canada was "at the forefront" of efforts to help refugees, remindingreporters that since 2009 Canada has resettled more than 18,000 Iraqis, many of them religious minorities.

"That's a record that speaks for itself," Alexander said. "We're going to resettle 5,000 more Iraqi and Iranian refugees who are now in Turkey in the months and years to come."

But Canada's commitment to resettle roughly 20,000Iraqi refugees, particularly those from the Christian minority,predatesthe current conflict.

Resettlement work wascomplicated and delayed withthe closure of Canada's visa offices in Syria in 2012.The office had been central for processing Iraqi refugee applications, as many had fled to Syria.

Military intervention

Canada's only military deployment so far was announced on Aug.15: two transport aircraftto movemilitary supplies donated by other countriesto Kurdish military forces in northern Iraq, involving30 Canadianpersonnel.

No statement by any government official has suggested the Canadian military willdomore. Other allies, most notably the Americans, have re-engaged withairstrikes against ISIS.

Liberal MP John McKay, speaking on the same Power & Politicspanel as Julian, didn't rule out his support for more military involvement.

"It would certainly have to be given very serious consideration because this is in effect an attack on the very core notions of what civilization means," he said, calling the crisis on the ground "an almost a genocidal situation" where people are being "persecuted, killed and mutilated on the basis of what they believe."

"Any civilized nation,any nation that calls itself civilized, has to address that situation and cannot leave it unaddressed. So I think that's what in effect makes you pause very carefully to thinkabout what this might involve," he said.

Mulcairtold reporters he expected Harper to follow the "longstanding tradition in Canada" thatbefore you put boots on the ground, you have to go back to Parliament."

The House of Commons does not reconvene until Sept.15.

Diplomaticefforts and security concerns

Does the world take notice when Canada condemns ISIS?

DerekBurney, a former diplomat and chief of staff for Brian Mulroneywho's co-authored a new book on Canadian foreign policy,Brave New Canada,told the CBC this week he doesn't think so.

We do tend to exaggerate the extent to which Canada is either an honest broker or a significant player.- Derek Burney, former diplomat

"We do tend to exaggerate the extent to which Canada is either an honest broker or a significant player in the Middle East," he said, pointing out that Canada doesn't really have substantial interests in the region.

"Let's face it:even the United States, with its enormous capacity for influence in the Middle East, is not exactly front and centre influencing events, either in Israelor in Syria certainly or in Iraq,"Burneysaid.

Nevertheless, Canada's Ambassador to Jordan, who is also responsible for the Canadian mission in Iraq, was in Northern Iraq last week to meet with Kurdish officials.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Bairdtweeted a photo of Bruno Saccomanivisiting abattalion onthe front lines in Nineveh.

While Saccomani was busy on the ground, Baird's ambassador for religious freedom, Andrew Bennett,called this week for other Muslim countriesin the region, including important trading partners of Canada's, to use their considerable influence to stem the violence.

"[Countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Qatar]may become victims themselves if they don't stop these people out there," Baird'sparliamentary secretary Deepak Obhrai saidthis week.

'Strong influence'

"They have quite a strong influence in the Muslim world and their voice would add quite a bit of clout to the international condemnation," Obhrai said. "It would behelpful if these countries took a stronger stand."

"I think [the Canadian government]should also use whatever contacts they have left in Tehran which I don't think they have to again call out the [Iranians]to support a notion of pluralism," McKay added. (Canada ended diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012.)

"Unless the leading powers of that region actually start to approach the notion that pluralism is ameaningful concept that people have an absolute right to believe and to act in the way they believe then this will continue to happen over and over again," McKay said.

Canada is not alone among western countries in the struggle tostopISIS recruitment at home, whenthecitizens travel to places such as Iraq and Syria andjoin extremist forces.

"The risk is real and that is why we have to have proper resources within Canada to track that sort of thing," Mulcairsaid.

"This is a radicalization that seems to be takingplace and it is not a single point source there seems to be several sources for it, so I don't think any country can consider itself completely immune."