Sajjan trumpets Canada’s ‘increased role’ on the geopolitical stage
HALIFAX — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan opened a security conference on Friday by saying Canada is embracing a more muscular approach to international security, touting a new peacekeeping strategy and increased military spending as signs of an “increased role.”
Sajjan told the Halifax International Security Forum on Friday that Canada has shown initiative in a host of international conflicts, while maintaining its multilateral approach to foreign policy.
“For Canada, the development of this policy served as a tangible example of how the sharing of ideas and perspectives can translate into policy that responds to the challenges of our modern world,” Sajjan said. “We recognize that these engagements is vital not only to our own domestic security, but to global security.”
Sajjan trumpeted several Canadian peacekeeping commitments unveiled during this week’s United Nations peacekeeping summit in Vancouver. They included offering soldiers, equipment and a feminist perspective on peace missions. The federal government has also promised to increase military spending by $62 billion over the next two decades.