(Ottawa) The United Nations may soon begin to question what is meant in Ottawa by “fast”, now that the Canadian government has given itself three more years to provide the UN with a force rapid intervention unit of 200 soldiers intended for peacekeeping.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first pledged in November 2017 that Canada would provide a “rapid reaction force” when he hosted a major international peacekeeping summit in Vancouver.
UN officials then welcomed the commitment, which coincided with Canada’s campaign to secure a temporary seat on the UN Security Council.
But Canada ultimately lost that campaign. And six years later, he still hasn’t kept his promise to deploy a rapid reaction force.
Since then, the UN and the United States have been urging Canada to finally create this force, and the Liberals assure that the question remains on the agenda.
But after already agreeing to an extension of the initial five-year deadline last year, the government says it now has until March 2026 to keep the promise.