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Canada offers troops, helicopters and planes to UN, but still can't say what missions they might be used in

Under the plan announced Wednesday, Canada could offer 200 personnel for a quick reaction force as well as small training teams to be sent to UN facilities

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More than a year after pledging up to 750 troops and police for United Nations peacekeeping missions, the Canadian government still can’t say where they’ll be headed.

Canada will offer the UN training teams as well as helicopters and transport aircraft, and will encourage other nations to send women on peace operations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday at a UN planning conference in Vancouver.

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“We believe in the United Nations and we believe in peacekeeping,” Trudeau said.

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But discussions with the UN on how Canada’s promises might be fulfilled are only now just beginning.

It could be another six to nine months before any decision is made about troop deployments, military officers say. Large-scale contributions to UN missions such as the one in Mali also appear to be off the table. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with the media after participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with the media after participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017. Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

During the 2015 federal election campaign, Trudeau promised that his government would “renew Canada’s commitment to peacekeeping operations.” More than a year ago, Liberal cabinet ministers held a news conference to commit Canada to providing up to 600 soldiers and 150 police to UN missions.

But on Wednesday, government officials briefing journalists on the commitment still could not provide any details on future missions or numbers of personnel which might be assigned to various roles. They also offered no explanation as to why discussions with the UN over those troop deployments might just be starting now, when that initial pledge was made in August 2016.

Trudeau provided some details on the promise of a transport aircraft. He said Canada would commit one C-130 Hercules to the UN for a 12-month period. The aircraft will be based in Uganda and haul equipment and supplies for UN missions. No details were provided on when the aircraft would be operating from Uganda.

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Trudeau labelled the promises as “smart pledges” since he claimed they will help close the gap in the capabilities of what UN missions need to succeed. “Canada is prepared to show the way for others,” he said.

The number of police and military personnel Canada currently has committed to UN peacekeeping efforts has dropped to 62, which Walter Dorn, a peacekeeping expert who teaches at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., calls a “rather embarrassing” number that represents the lowest level of commitment in 50 years.

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Under the plan announced Wednesday, Canada could offer 200 personnel for a quick reaction force as well as small training teams to be sent to UN facilities or assigned to one or two specific countries.

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Canada will also commit $15 million to finance a five-year pilot program to increase the number of women being deployed on UN missions. “Canada will take responsibility for ensuring that women play a greater role in peace operations,” he said.

The bulk of the commitment of 600 military personnel could also be meet by the pledge of the aircraft, depending on what mission is selected. For instance, military officers said, a deployment of four helicopters in Canada could involve up to 250 individuals, depending on the support needed. A mission to Africa would be even more complex and involve larger numbers, they suggested.

Military officials emphasized there would not be a quick turnaround time for decisions on deployments. Each option will be studied and recommendations made to cabinet ministers. After that, Trudeau will decide whether to proceed.

The Liberal government has rebuffed the UN’s previous requests to supply transport helicopters to its mission in Mali. Faced with a shortfall of helicopters the UN turned to Jordan and Belgium for those aircraft. Canada also declined an offer from the UN to provide a commanding officer for that mission.

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Government and military officers have sent mixed messages on peacekeeping over the last year. In July 2016 Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance said that Canadian troops would be heading to Africa. A short time later, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan confirmed the Liberal government was indeed focused on an African mission and specifically mentioned Mali.

But other countries were also being considered, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

In the fall of 2016 Sajjan said Canada was going to commit to a three-year mission in Africa but his office quickly back-peddled, claiming that had not yet been decided by cabinet.

• Email: dpugliese@postmedia.com | Twitter:

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