Defence chief: Cost a factor in selecting peacekeeping missions

Canada’s top general says he is not in a rush to start sending Canadian peacekeepers out the door, and he indicated that money will a key consideration when officials sit down to look at potential missions.

Chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance’s comments come a few weeks after the Trudeau government took another step closer to peacekeeping by offering helicopters, aircraft, troops and trainers to the UN.

Yet the government stopped short of saying where most of those peacekeepers and equipment will be sent, saying it would work with UN officials to fill critical gaps in a variety of missions.

The only exception was to confirm the deployment of a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to Entebbe, Uganda, where it will be used ferry troops and gear to seven different UN missions in Africa.

Vance refused to speculate during an end-ofyear interview on when the military would know where else it will be participating in peacekeeping, even as he pushed back on any sense of urgency.

“I’m in no rush to provide options to government that would somehow throw Canadians at a problem and not help resolve things,” Vance told The Canadian Press at his Ottawa office.

“I’m not really interested, and I don’t think anybody in uniform would be interested in us coming up with a quick decision to just somehow get kudos.”

Even when it came to sending the C-130 to Uganda, Vance would only say: “We’ll put that Herc out there as quick as we can. But I would caution anybody on putting a timeline on it.”

The defence chief’s comments are unlikely to sit well with some UN and foreign government officials who have grown frustrated with what they see as Canada’s foot-dragging when it comes to peacekeeping.

But Vance compared the process of analyzing missions to building a puzzle, as military planners seek to match the troops and equipment Canada has on offer with the UN’s needs and any potential threats.

That is where money could become a factor, as Vance said the government has only authorized him to use a maximum of 600 troops and spend $500 million on peacekeeping.