Whither Canadian peacekeeping? Dramatic drop seen in contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations

Media Advisory 

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2009

Ottawa, ON – Peacebuild’s Peace Operations Working Group today released an analysis that shows that Canadian contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations (UNPKOs) have declined dramatically in recent years.

“During the Cold War, Canada was the top troop-contributing country to United Nations peacekeeping operations, providing ten per cent of the total number of forces,” said Professor Walter Dorn of the Canadian Forces College, who contributed the analysis to Peacebuild. “There has since been a hundred-fold decline in percentage contribution.” 

With a total of 15 separate peace operations currently being conducted by the United Nations, countries from around the world are contributing record numbers of peacekeepers. By September 2009, the total number of peacekeepers engaged in United Nations missions reached 96,075. 

Yet while demand by the United Nations for peacekeepers has never been higher, Canadian contributions of personnel have rarely been lower. The total military and police contribution made by Canada sits at only 0.19 per cent of the total, making Canada 55th out of 116 contributors. Canada’s overall contribution of 178 personnel ranks between that of Cameroon, with 177 personnel, and Malawi, with 198.
 

“At the end of 2011, when Canada’s mission in Afghanistan is scheduled to end, there is a significant opportunity for the Canadian Forces to re-engage with United Nations peacekeeping operations,” said Dominic Leger, Peace Operations Working Group Coordinator of Peacebuild. “This sort of an approach would be likely to win wide support from the Canadian public.”
 

In an opinion poll conducted by Ipsos Reid for the Department of National Defence in March 2009, it was revealed that half of Canadians support a “peacekeeping only” role for the Canadian Forces. Analysis conducted by the polling company suggested that this is a “statistically significant increase” from the 46 per cent of Canadians who agreed in 2008.