Peace is hard-won, and it doesn’t always stick. A glance at the news gives innumerable examples: Afghanistan has been in a free-fall back to a violent and repressive Taliban regime since 2021; Gaza is near dust again; Haiti’s political situation churns. International conflicts are on the rise. And Canada used to be there to foster peace.
During the 1956 Suez Crisis, Canadian Secretary of State Lester B. Pearson helped initiate the world’s first peacekeeping force, and the country had, for years since, been at the front lines of international peacekeeping. From Congo to Cyprus, Canadian blue berets earned a reputation as adept and diplomatic peacekeepers, with forces peaking in the early 1990s at roughly 3,300 troops deployed around the world.
But the cost was high. In the Balkans in 1993, Canadians literally fought Croatian forces for peace. A total of 23 Canadians were killed while deployed there; many others returned scarred by the horrors of seeing a genocide in real time. In Somalia, while many served with distinction in a desperate situation, violent abuses put Canada’s conduct under a microscope. In Rwanda the following year, Canadian troops again bore witness to genocide, this time the slaughter of 800,000 civilians.
In recent years, Canada has been reluctant to participate in peacekeeping. Just 26* Canadians are currently deployed on UN missions, with a few dozen more on NATO-led operations. Here’s a look at the history of Canada’s major peacekeeping missions.
—Michela Rosano
Advertisement
