UN thanks Canada for peacekeeping support

OTTAWA — Two senior UN officials are thanking Canada for its commitment to peacekeeping, even though the Liberal government has yet to pick a mission. Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Atul Khare made the comments at a news conference with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan at UN headquarters in New York. The three were marking the International Day of the UN Peacekeeper, which is dedicated to the more than 3,500 blue-helmeted soldiers killed in the line of duty since 1948. Sajjan was expected to face pointed questions over what some have described as the government’s foot-dragging when it comes to deciding where to send up to 600 Canadian peacekeepers.

But while Lacroix at one point said the UN was looked forward to a decision, both he and Khare praised Canada’s long-standing commitment to the peacekeeping cause. Sajjan refused to provide a timeline for when the government would make a decision on a mission, but insisted that Canadians want the country to continue to engage in peacekeeping.