Canada set to host peacekeeping forum
But questions remain about promise to deploy troops in UN peace-support mission
OTTAWA— Canada will play host to an international peacekeeping summit this fall, in part to seek pledges of troops for UN missions, even as plans for its own long-promised peace-support operation remain in limbo.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan used a visit to New York Wednesday to confirm that the UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial forum will be held in Vancouver on Nov. 14 and 15.
Some 500 delegates from 70 countries are expected to attend the event, according to the defence department.
Reforms of UN peacekeeping initiatives and new approaches to training and capacity building are among the issues to be discussed, Sajjan said.
“We will continue encouraging pledges from member nations, particularly in areas where the United Nations faces gaps, such as rapid deployment,” he said.
But a question mark continues to hang over Canada’s own promise, made last August, to deploy up to 600 troops and 150 police officers on a United Nations peace support mission.
In a Wednesday morning questionand-answer session at the International Peace Institute, and later at the United Nations, Sajjan refused to be pinned down on the Liberal government’s plans.
“We have not decided as a government exactly where we are going to do this,” he said. “I’d rather take the time to understand, have the right discussions and make my recommendations to the prime minister and our cabinet,” Sajjan said.
“When we send our troops, we’re going to make sure they are properly equipped, making sure they have the right rules of engagement, not only for protecting themselves, but also to protect the population as well. That requires a very robust mandate,” he told the gathering at the institute.
However, the defence minister did say that Canada is in discussions about making contributions that would enhance the UN’s ability to deploy forces rapidly.
He noted that the Canadian military deploys in less than 30 days on domestic operations, usually responding to natural disasters.
“We want to make sure that where our contributions are going to help. What is a rapid force going to look like? Where should it go? What type of structure does it need?” Sajjan said.
“These are the discussions that we’re going through right now. We want to make sure we have all the information to say these are the areas we’re willing to contribution. We have many options,” he said.
During his later appearance at the United Nations, the defence minister was pressed again by a journalist on the fate of Canada’s own peace mission plans, but stuck with the line that the federal government wants to make the “right” contribution.
He refused to confirm whether Canadian troops would be deployed on the peace-support mission by the time of the summit or hint at when an announcement would be made. “When we make a plan to make a contribution, this is not just about checking a box,” Sajjan said..
“We need to make sure we have the right plan, have the right discussions . . . because we want to make sure to provide a meaningful contribution,” he said.
“We can have a very quick contribution and it sounds all great, but it may not have the impact on the ground,” he said.
Instead, he said Canada is working on a “comprehensive” contribution that goes beyond the military to include other government departments, one that provides “impact, not just for the mission, but the region as well.”
He said the military has learned “from hard experiences in conflict that you can’t do it alone.
“The military buys you time,” Sajjan said, voicing support for what he called an “integrated” approach to resolving conflict.
UN officials who joined Sajjan for the news conference steered clear of commenting on Canada’s pending peace mission plans. Instead, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, undersecretary general for peacekeeping operations, praised Canada’s backing of peacekeeping, “both the political support as well as the support in capacity, the support in assistance, in know-how.”
He said efforts are continuing to make peace deployments better equipped, react more quickly and be better informed.
“Countries like Canada have a lot to bring,” he added.