“We believe in the United Nations and we believe in peacekeeping”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Vancouver said , “We believe in the United Nations and we believe in peacekeeping. What we will do is step up and make the contributions we are uniquely able to provide.” He assured that Canada is preparing  to offer up to 200 ground troops, transport and armed helicopters, cargo planes and military trainers for future United Nations peacekeeping operations. The five-year military commitment is part of a comprehensive package that includes millions of dollars to help other countries boost the involvement of women in peace operations and strengthen security for those involved in high-risk missions.

In his address to the Vancouver conference, Trudeau said peacekeeping in the Canadian imagination has become rooted in a kind of nostalgia, but it is no longer what it used to be, and there must be a new vision.  Many missions have become dangerous, Trudeau said. “We’re asking peace operations to do more — not only to deal with violence when it erupts, but to respond to the entire life cycle of conflict: preventing its outbreak, supporting complicated peace processes and helping people to rebuild their lives when conflict ends.  That is the reality of modern peace operations. Given that reality, we need to try new things.”