The official Opposition is criticizing the Liberal government for not providing a 鈥渃lear understanding鈥� of the role Canadian troops will play in any peacekeeping missions.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, meanwhile, says he is taking his time to make sure Canada gets the mission right.
During an address at the UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Thursday in London, Sajjan vowed Canada will be a 鈥渞esponsible partner in the world.鈥� He said that Canada will contribute 600 troops and 150 police officers, but didn鈥檛 say when or where that could happen.
Sajjan visited Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Congo earlier this summer. Observers have suggested Canada鈥檚 troops might be deployed to Mali, South Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Speaking to reporters outside the conference, Sajjan said that the government is doing its due diligence and that Canadians will be the first to know when a decision is made on which mission the peacekeepers will join.
鈥淚f you look at the previous announcements we鈥檝e made as a government, whether it鈥檚 been in Iraq or in NATO, it鈥檚 about understanding conflict first,鈥� Sajjan said.
Sajjan told Power Play host Don Martin that before he sends troops into 鈥渉arm鈥檚 way鈥� he wants to 鈥渢ake the time to get all the necessary ground truth and go eyes wide open...鈥�
鈥淭his is not the peacekeeping of the past,鈥� he added. 鈥淭here is no peace to keep in some cases and where there is peace, it is extremely fragile.鈥�
Earlier on Thursday, Official Opposition critic for National Defence James Bezan said the UN conference presented Sajjan with the 鈥減erfect opportunity鈥� to answer questions that the Conservatives and 鈥渕any Canadians鈥� have been asking regarding their peacekeeping plan.
鈥淏efore sending any Canadian Armed Forces personnel to war zones, Canadians expect to know when, where and why our troops are being deployed,鈥� Bezan said at a news conference in Ottawa.
The government should also provide the public with mission details such as location, length of time for deployment, and rules of engagement, Bezan said, adding deployment could 鈥減lace Canadian troops in some of the most dangerous regions in the world, without responding to any pressing needs in Canada鈥檚 national interests.鈥�
Conservatives question motive
Bezan also said that he believes the 鈥渦ltimate goal鈥� of committing peacekeeping troops is to secure a seat for Canada on the UN Security Council.
鈥淭hat, to me, is politics, and we shouldn't be using our troops as pawns,鈥� he said.
Minister Sajjan responded to the accusation on Power Play, stating that the mission is about Canada being 鈥渁 responsible partner in the world.鈥�
鈥淚f we think the problems and conflicts in those areas don鈥檛 impact us, well, we鈥檙e wrong,鈥� he said, offering the examples of the migrant crisis in Europe and the rise of radical terror groups.
鈥淧lus, at the end of the day, it鈥檚 the right thing to do,鈥� Sajjan added. 鈥淲e cannot just ignore the atrocities being committed in that part of the world.鈥�
'Extremely complex'
During the UN conference, Sajjan called 鈥減eace support operations鈥� one of Canada鈥檚 鈥渕ost important鈥� endeavours.
鈥淚 also want to stress the fact that this will be a whole government effort, not just strictly a military one,鈥� Sajjan said, adding he will be working closely with ministerial colleagues Dion, as well as International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.
He said the conflicts he is seeing in regions of Africa are 鈥渆xtremely complex.鈥�
鈥淚t is not the conflicts of before,鈥� Sajjan said. 鈥淲e have radical organizations also in the intermix, in the political strife that鈥檚 going on in particular regions.鈥�
Sajjan said the government must be 鈥渇ar more innovative in our approach.
鈥淲e need to look at the lessons that our African Union partners have already learned,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need to look at our own lessons that we have learned from the different conflicts.鈥�
Sajjan, a seasoned veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, said he 鈥渕ay be new鈥� to politics, but 鈥淚鈥檓 not a novice to conflict and we need to elevate that conversation.鈥�
