www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 15
PeaceKeePIng
P
Canada
ReAlISTIC peACeKeepInG
opTIonS foR
by sarah Jane meharg
This essay is one in a series
commissioned by Canadian Global
Affairs Institute in the context of defence,
security and assistance reviews by
the Trudeau Government.
UN peace operations permit Canada
entry to the decision-making table
regarding international governance
and collective security
a
government that wants to increase human security,
tackle economic inequities, mitigate the effects of cli-
mate change, and address the reign of terror against
women and children around the world is a government
that must use the methods of collective security to reduce its own
financial burden, and wield its political influence earned during
60 years of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping. The government
of Canada is beginning to understand the changing nature of the
security environments in which it intends its interests to be real-
ized, and will need to have many different tools available to man-
age its foreign policy interests.
One such tool is UN peacekeeping – now understood as peace
operations – which occur before, during and after violent armed
conflicts. It is in this multidimensional security environment that
Canada has a role as a keeper of the peace. This is a role that is
highly respected within the international community and one that
enhances the human security of war-affected peoples. In essence,
UN peacekeeping contributes to the government's interests re-
lated to security underscored by economic development.
Canada's strategic objective in undertaking UN peace opera-
tions should be focused on shoulder-to-shoulder cooperation
with its allies. This enables the government of Canada to be a
part of the discussions on international governance and collec-
tive security among allies, and ensures that Canadian forces are
Master corporal Dany
l'ecuyer from 2nd Battalion,
Royal 22e Régiment talks with locals
during a dismounted presence patrol
in port-au-prince, Haiti during
operation HAMleT on September 13,
2013. photo: MCpl Marc-André Gaudreault, DnD
