Liberals to unveil plans for UN peacekeeping force
Federal cabinet ministers will troop out to one of the country's principal fighter jet bases on Friday to outline the Trudeau government's rebooted commitment to international peacekeeping — a pledge that sources tell CBC News will eventually involve hundreds of soldiers and police officers over time.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, along with International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale are scheduled to make the announcement at the Bagotville air base north of Quebec City on Friday.
The announcement is coming two weeks ahead of a United Nations peacekeeping conference in London, a gathering Canada was almost excluded from because, according to a series of sources, it had not made — until recently — a firm commitment on the number of troops it could provide.
The initial list of countries prepared by conference organizers did not include Canada, said two UN sources with knowledge of the file. The officials could not speak publicly because of the diplomatic sensitivity.
The Liberal government, which made a return to peacekeeping one of its core themes in last year's election, was required to commit in writing how many soldiers would be available should the world organization ask for volunteers as missions arise.
The figure quoted to the UN was in the range of 450-500, according to the sources, who went on to say troops might not be assigned to a single mission and could be spread out over various countries where they are most needed.
The announcement on Friday is also expected to commit upwards of 100 police officers to various capacity-building missions.
The Liberals have been tight-lipped about how many troops, and where they would be going. They are not expected to reveal specific missions until a later date.
Sajjan recently returned from a five-country scouting mission of possible locations in Africa.
He said he knew how many soldiers he had at his disposal, but needed the blessing of cabinet to finalize the plan.
That authorization was apparently given at the cabinet retreat earlier this week in Sudbury, Ont., and comes in the midst of a Liberal caucus meeting in Quebec's Sageunay region.
Liberals to unveil plans for UN peacekeeping force - Politics - CBC News
Federal cabinet ministers will troop out to one of the country's principal fighter jet bases on Friday to outline the Trudeau government's rebooted commitment to international peacekeeping — a pledge that sources tell CBC News will eventually involve hundreds of soldiers and police officers over time.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, along with International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale are scheduled to make the announcement at the Bagotville air base north of Quebec City on Friday.
The announcement is coming two weeks ahead of a United Nations peacekeeping conference in London, a gathering Canada was almost excluded from because, according to a series of sources, it had not made — until recently — a firm commitment on the number of troops it could provide.
The initial list of countries prepared by conference organizers did not include Canada, said two UN sources with knowledge of the file. The officials could not speak publicly because of the diplomatic sensitivity.
The Liberal government, which made a return to peacekeeping one of its core themes in last year's election, was required to commit in writing how many soldiers would be available should the world organization ask for volunteers as missions arise.
The figure quoted to the UN was in the range of 450-500, according to the sources, who went on to say troops might not be assigned to a single mission and could be spread out over various countries where they are most needed.
The announcement on Friday is also expected to commit upwards of 100 police officers to various capacity-building missions.
The Liberals have been tight-lipped about how many troops, and where they would be going. They are not expected to reveal specific missions until a later date.
Sajjan recently returned from a five-country scouting mission of possible locations in Africa.
He said he knew how many soldiers he had at his disposal, but needed the blessing of cabinet to finalize the plan.
That authorization was apparently given at the cabinet retreat earlier this week in Sudbury, Ont., and comes in the midst of a Liberal caucus meeting in Quebec's Sageunay region.
Liberals to unveil plans for UN peacekeeping force - Politics - CBC News
