Canada missing in action on police in peacekeeping despite Liberal promises
OTTAWA — Federal officials have yet to figure out how to make good on the Trudeau government’s 18-month-old promise to provide up to 150 police officers to peacekeeping missions, despite a shortage of such personnel on many UN operations.
The Liberals first pledged the police officers in August 2016 at the same time they said that Canada would contribute up to 600 soldiers to UN missions as part of a renewed commitment to peacekeeping.
The government has since put meat on its promise of troops by committing military helicopters, aircraft, trainers and a rapid-reaction force, with talks between National Defence and the United Nations about possible missions underway.
But Public Safety Canada spokeswoman Karine Martel told The Canadian Press that the government “continues to explore options to increase police officer deployments up to 150.” She did not provide a timeline for a decision.