'This is a dumb war,' Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says in letter urging PM to take action to stop Iran conflict

Manitoba's premier is calling on Mark Carney to help stop the war in Iran.

Wab Kinew says in a letter to Canada's prime minister that the government must take action to end the conflict, which has led to thousands of deaths in the Middle East.

The war "is causing a lot of suffering overseas," Kinew said in a speech at the NDP's national convention in Winnipeg on Friday.

"It is causing a lot of economic pain to working people here in Canada and across North America."

American President Donald Trump has called on NATO to step up with military resources to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran took control of the regional chokepoint in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel war, effectively halting energy shipments.

About 20 per cent of the world's oil and a fifth of global liquefied natural gas regularly crosses the strait to get to market. Energy prices have skyrocketed since the war began on Feb. 28.

Kinew said in the letter the surge is historic and is impacting the lives of Manitobans.

'Let the Epstein class fight'

"While there is such a thing as a 'just war,' this is not one," the letter said. "This is a dumb war."

The premier made the comments a day after federal Defence Minister David McGuinty said Canada is considering sending vessels and cyber expertise to help secure the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is reached.

Kinew said Canada has prided itself in promoting human rights across the world and that taking steps to end the war would be acting according to those values.

"Not a single Canadian should ever be put in harm's way to defend Donald Trump's foolish Iranian war," he said at the conference Friday.

"I'll go a step further, and I'll say no American either," Kinew said. "No American child from the blue collar or the middle class should have to die in Iran. Let the Epstein class fight the Epstein war."