Canada earmarks millions to help Jordan maintain stability — defence minister

TORONTO — Canada has earmarked nearly $380 million over the next three years to help safeguard the stability of Jordan, according to Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan. 

Meanwhile, the official said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times that advances are being made in the war against Daesh.

The minister was talking from Munich after meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, which opened Friday. 

This support is Jordan’s share of more than $1.6 billion Canada will spend in the form of humanitarian assistance in the region as part of its new anti-Daesh strategy that was announced by the NATO member country earlier last week.

“It is complete, robust and will make a difference for people around the world,” Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, speaking to reporters after the official announcement was made.

This support is separate from other pledges made from countries at the London donor conference held on February 4, where Jordan secured more than $8 billion in grants, semi-grants and cheap loans for 2016-2018.

Sajjan, who was in Jordan in late November with other Canadian ministers to view the situation on the ground and help fulfill Canada’s other commitment, bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada (over 10,000 from Jordanian refugee camps), told The Jordan Times that His Majesty King Abdullah’s “deep understanding of the region compounded by his military background offers a completely different dynamic for us and allows us all to get a much better understanding of what can be done through the overall plan”.

Canada’s top diplomat on defence explained that His Majesty’s “caliber as a great leader” shows and that despite the difficulties he is facing, he does not complain and, instead, thinks of what can be done or how Jordan can further help.

On his Munich meeting with the King, the Canadian official said: “He was making sure we were getting the knowledge we needed; he sees the wider context and sees much wider than just the borders with Syria and Iraq,” foreseeing threats far afield, like the growing terror in Africa.

 Advances on Daesh: ‘Progress is there’  

There are many advances made in the war against Daesh by the US-led coalition.

“A lot of progress is made you cannot just see openly.”

He further explained that with the complexity of conflict, there are certain parts of the plan, such as the non-military efforts that cannot have a timeline. 

“The stability within Jordan is actually proof of the success of the coalition’s plan” and that of Jordan, where the army and the security forces have done a good job to protect the country. 

Comprehensive strategy 

Canadian officials have said that the North American country now follows a comprehensive anti-terror strategy that takes into account capacity building of the Iraqi military, including a steep rise in the number of military personnel deployed for non-combat tactical training.

Other measures have been added such as the provision of equipment, small arms and strategic advisers to assist Iraqi security forces, along with non-military contributions like a reserved $145 million over the next three years for counterterrorism efforts, according to Prime Minister Trudeau’s office. 

The humanitarian aspect of the strategy includes the building of local capacity in countries hosting large numbers of refugees, mainly Jordan and Lebanon, including support in the fields of education, healthcare, sanitation, infrastructure, job generation, economic growth and good governance.

The officials said that Canada would increase its diplomatic presence in the region, including more representatives in Jordan, to work, among other goals, towards finding political solutions to regional crises.