Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has usually been among the most strident of Western leaders in denouncing Russian military activity in Crimea, Ukraine and Syria, The Globe and Mail reported on October 3rd.
Last week, while campaigning in Quebec, Mr. Harper said: “The Russian government and Putin remain a government that complicates, in dangerous and unhelpful ways, security situations all over the world.”
 A handful of Canadian fighter-bombers have flown scores of attack missions against targets in Iraq and Syria, although the number of bombing runs has dropped sharply since Mr. Harper called a federal election.