WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — The United States and Canada can still work together to combat the Islamic State (ISIL) after newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Ottawa would stop participating in anti-ISIL airstrikes, US Senator Ben Cardin told Sputnik.
"I think all of us are looking for a way in which we could be more effective in our policies in the Middle East, and we hope that Canada will be part of that," Cardin said on Wednesday.
Cardin, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, added that the two governments "need to consult and see if we can find an effective way for Canada to help us" in the anti-ISIL fight.
Asked if Trudeau would come under pressure from Washington to change his position on using airpower in Iraq and Syria, Cardin noted, "I don’t think he disagrees we have to stop ISIS [Islamic State]."
Trudeau came to power with a strong majority following ten years of the Conservative party leadership in Canada.
Canada has participated in the US-led coalition against ISIL since October 2014.
