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Canada restores its traditional UN peacekeeping role

It marks a return to a peacekeeping role historically played on the world stage by Canada but was cut back in more recent years. “[It is] time to act with responsible conviction as a determined peace builder”.

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The Trudeau government today announced Canada is ready to resume a larger role in global peacekeeping operations. While deploying 600 troops would represent a dramatic increase from the 19 deployed on United Nations missions at the end of July, he said it’s still not a sizable contingent. As of the end of July, 19 Canadian troops were deployed on peacekeeping missions, The Canadian Press wire service reported, and the new 600 figure will bring Canada more in line with its peacekeeping commitment during the 1990s.

“Around the world, the nature of conflict is changing and it’s more complex than ever”, Sajjan said.

Raising the spectre of Rwanda, Bosnia and Somalia, Conservative defence critic James Bezan said his fear is the Liberals are more concerned with picking a mission that will help them win a UN Security Council seat than choosing one that is good for Canada. “Today, peace support operations are conducted where there may be no peace to keep, or where the fragile peace constantly teeters on the edge of violence”.

But Sajjan did not specify which operations he was referring to and the reality is that all the missions the government is believed to be considering – Mali, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo – are fraught with risk and complexity. He emphasized the need to look at new solutions as well as prevent conflict before it erupts. They also revealed plans to spend $450 million over the next three years on peace and stability projects.

“We need to understand conflict better”.

The Canadian government did not say where the troops will be deployed. In order to attend, countries must make a tangible peacekeeping pledge.

The commitments are being announced in advance of a major conference in London.

Just previous year, the UN High-Level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations released its report that stressed the primacy of political over military and technical solutions, and reiterated the importance of civilian protection.

Although peacekeeping has existed for a long time, the formalized United Nations concept of neutral, multinational intervention was first proposed in the 1950s by Canada’s foreign minister, Lester B. Pearson, who went on to become prime minister and the victor of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. The political situation in those countries is also extremely volatile.

Some have questioned the Liberal government’s emphasis on peacekeeping given that many United Nations missions involve dealing with terrorist groups and other non-state actors. There have also been concerns that the military, which also has a large mission in Iraq and will be soon going to Latvia, is being stretched thin.

A decision, however, has not yet been made about where to deploy the military personnel, said Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan.

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– With files from Joanna Smith in Saguenay, Que.

Sajjan in Ottawa by the Canadian Press