From the CBC:
“Canada extends peacekeeping
mission despite Security Council loss”
Canada will provide a military
transport plane to support United Nations peacekeeping missions for another
year despite losing its bid for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. Defence
Minister Harjit Sajjan's office confirmed the continued deployment of a CC-130
Hercules in support of UN missions in Africa on Sunday, ending months of
speculation about the fate of the mission. "The Canadian Armed Forces are
playing an important role in transporting critical supplies and personnel to
support the UN in the region," Sajjan said in a statement to The Canadian
Press. "We understand the importance of Canada working with our
international allies and partners like the United Nations, which is why we have
renewed Canadian Armed Forces support for an additional year."
Trudeau's promise of peacekeeping
troops unfulfilled The Hercules,
which has been based out of Uganda five days per month since August 2019, was
one of three signature promises that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made to the
UN when Canada hosted a major peacekeeping summit in November 2017. Trudeau
also promised the UN that Canada would provide a helicopter detachment, which
operated in Mali from June 2018 to September 2019. He also pledged a quick
reaction force composed of up to 200 troops, which has yet to be fulfilled. Many
saw the promises as an attempt by the Liberal government to bolster its bid for
a two-year seat on the UN Security Council, and there had been questions about
the CC-130 after Canada lost to Norway and Ireland on the first ballot in June.
Sajjan also said that the Hercules recently resumed flights to and from Uganda
after a four-month suspension due to COVID-19. "Following a temporary
operational pause due to COVID-19, the tactical detachment in Uganda has
recently completed a 10-day mission out of Entebbe," he said. The plane
moved about 42 tonnes worth of cargo and 400 passengers, he said.
Hercules deployment is
'pioneering': expert Canadian Forces
College professor Walter Dorn, one of Canada's foremost experts on
peacekeeping, welcomed the extension, which he described as
"pioneering" since the plane isn't assigned to one specific UN mission
but helps many in Africa. "It's a pioneering service," he said.
"The first national contribution for multi-operation air service in UN
history, with operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan
already serviced and other missions to be added." Dorn nonetheless
lamented that the Hercules is only available for five days a month, even as he
noted that Canada's overall contribution to peacekeeping remains at an all-time
low with 34 police officers and military personnel around the world.
^
It seems Trudeau is promising the world to the world to try and get the
UN Security Council seat and now he has to waste Canada’s limited resources to
fulfill all those promises. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-hercules-peacekeeping-1.5672708
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