Is Canada a peacekeeping nation?
Canada used to be one of the most significant contributors to promote peacekeeping back in the 1990s. It took a substantial step in the establishment of the United Nations. It also participated in so many other missions that were aimed to establish peace. Even today, so many Canadians have engaged in various operations involving peacekeeping, and others have also died in those operations. Therefore, I can say that Canada is a peacekeeping country. The country has so far established its reputation as one of the top peacekeeping countries. It has its way of dealing with disputes, and even the citizens are usually so proud of the peacekeeping forces in the country (Maloney, 2016). However, there is also a debate that Canada is slowly declining from its good rank of a peacemaking country, which is depicted by several failed missions like the one that happened in Rwanda and Somalia.
Why did Canada support UN peacekeeping missions in the 1960s and 1970s?
Canada was in the best position to assist in establishing a peacekeeping force that had been proposed earlier by Pearson. Canada decided to support UN peacekeeping because most Canadians endorsed this idea. There was a need to control and resolve conflicts that were happening in many countries (Dorn, 2006). When Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize, there was a rise in enthusiasm for peacekeeping, and it becomes more relevant to Canada’s attention. When peacekeeping in the Arab territories was needed, Canada had found a niche for it to provide communication capabilities for the Unites Nations during its operations. It realized it had the technical skills required and the right equipment needed. One of Canada’s contributions were offering radio equipment and Bilingual Signals officers, provided air transport and training to the forces.
References
Dorn, W. (2006). Canadian Peacekeeping: A Proud Tradition. Peace Magazine. Retrieved 15
March 2020, from http://peacemagazine.org/archive/v22n3p15.htm.
Maloney, S. (2016). Seanmmaloney.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020, from
http://www.seanmmaloney.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Why-Keep-the-Myth-Alive.pdf.