At the end of May, Canada had only 40 UN peacekeepers deployed, putting Canada in 81st place amongst troop-contributing countries. A month later, the first Canadian peacekeepers of Canada’s upcoming deployment in Mali have arrived in the country. By August 2nd, 250 troops, two Chinook helicopters and four armed Griffon helicopters will be in place.

Important questions remain about this deployment, as well as the government’s larger commitment to support UN peace operations.

With the coming deployment, there has been an increase in media attention to Canada’s engagement in peace operations. The following recent articles provide a range of perspectives:

• Mali ‘far messier’ than other peacekeeping missions, says Canada’s defence chief (CBC)
• Trudeau’s 1st peacekeeping mission just under UN goal of 15% female soldiers (CBC)
• Optimism and strife to greet Canadian peacekeepers as they arrive in Mali (CP/CTV)
• ‘It’s a war’: experts question whether Mali mission is peacekeeping (Global)
• Analysis: Canadians head into fight that may be ‘unwinnable’ in Mali (CBC)
• Opinion: Lessons from Somalia: Canada’s Mali mission must be about them, not us (The Globe and Mail)
• Mali vs. Afghanistan: comparing recent history with what lies ahead for CAF troops (CP/CTV)
• Video: Canada’s peacekeeping allies in Mali also pose a threat (CBC)

WFMC’s Canadians for Peacekeeping campaign seeks to mobilize Canadians and calls on the Government of Canada to increase and improve its commitment to United Nations peace operations. Practically, the campaign’s website tracks the status of the promises and pledges that Canada has made, and actual Canadian deployments, using statistics and benchmark data that are updated on a monthly basis.