Canadian Peacekeeping

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Recommended: Do Canadians have a heart for peacekeeping

Since 1947, Canada has deployed over 120,000 troops to dozens of countries around the world to aid with United Nations peacekeeping efforts. For almost seventy years we have, as a nation, sent our men and women to five continents, on more than fifty missions. Peacekeeping is part of who we are as Canadians, a part of our national identity. However, in the past decade, we have not participated in a single new UN peacekeeping mission. This is an embarrassment, considering the advantages of peacekeeping operations: They restore stability to regions, halt human rights violations, and even rescue civilians in mortal danger. With distinct benefits such as these, Canada must continue these incredibly important peacekeeping operations.
Firstly, United …show more content…

These violations include murder, rape, unlawful detainment, and even torture. An appropriate example would be the United Nations mission in East-Timor, in 1999. This mission’s primary objective was to stop the human rights violations perpetrated by Indonesia and Pro-Indonesian militias. Indonesia seized this Portuguese colony in 1975 after the fall of the Portuguese Marcello Caetano dictatorship. The Indonesian rule was oppressive. Hundreds of thousands of displacements took place, with an estimated 61,400 happening in 1975 alone, according to “The Profile of Human Rights violations in Timor-Leste, 1974-1999”. In 1999 the territory, frustrated with the violent rule, held a referendum, from which they gained independence from Indonesia. As terrifying news of killings came out and reached the mainstream media, the UN launched the International Force for East-Timor, or INTERFET. Canada was integral in this operation; providing 250 troops, two Hercules aircraft, the HMCS Protecteur, and Sea King helicopters. Canada patrolled the area, conducted humanitarian aid exercises, repaired schools and hospitals, and even taught English to civilians. It was later revealed that torture and detainment were rampant in the territory. Also revealed was the chilling grand total of killings: 18,600. Had Canada and the United Nations not intervened, East-Timor would still be terrorized by these militias. In this case Canada, along with its allies, successfully proved that it is essential that we must not cease our duties as international police as they can prevent continued human rights

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