Canada’s peacekeeping myth

Article by SamFoster

April 2, 2026
Canada’s peacekeeping myth by Sam Forster
Canada rightly once saw itself as a peacekeeping nation. But with just 27 peacekeepers on
missions now, experts say much will need to change to restore that legacy
A CH-147F Chinook helicopter takes off from Camp Castor in Gao, Mali during Operation
PRESENCE, Canada’s contribution to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in Mali, August 14, 2018, | Corporal Ken Beliwicz, CAF
For much of the Cold War, Canada was widely seen as one of the world’s leading
peacekeeping nations.

As thousands of Canadian soldiers served in United Nations missions around the world,
peacekeeping became a cornerstone of Canadian identity.
To Mike Blais, a retired Canadian soldier who was a peacekeeper in Cyprus in the 1980s,
one word comes to mind: “Pride.”

“Pride that we did a job well. Pride that the peace is still existing,” he said, reflecting on that
experience.
And yet today, Canada’s peacekeeping presence has largely vanished. Canada now has
just 27 peacekeepers on UN peacekeeping missions — a dramatic decline from a peak of
about 3,300 in the nineties.
Sources say the decline is driven by changes in the nature of global conflicts and Ottawa’s
defence priorities.

“Our current military posture is not reflective of that reputation,” said Walter Dorn, a
professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada. “It was a well-earned
reputation … but currently we’re not living up to that.”
Bob Rae, a former Ontario premier and ambassador to the United Nations, says Canada
still engages in peacekeeping diplomacy, but with more emphasis on administration than
muscle.

“We’re playing a role there, but not so much a role in terms of actually providing troops,”
said Rae, who held Canada’s top diplomatic position at the UN from 2020 to 2025.
Rae says the reduction in Canadian boots on the ground reflects political reluctance in
Ottawa, not merely limited capacity.
“There’s not just a lack of … people power; there is also an aversion in the Department of
National Defence that I’ve seen … to Canadian troops becoming involved in UN
peacekeeping missions, which I think is, frankly, deeply regrettable.”

National mythos
Canada’s association with UN peacekeeping dates back to the 1956 Suez Crisis, when the
U.K., France and Israel led a failed military operation in Egypt.
Then-diplomat Lester B. Pearson helped develop the idea of deploying international forces
to maintain a ceasefire between combatants.
“It was Pearson’s insight in 1956 that there could be an opportunity for peacekeepers … to
maintain an existing ceasefire,” said Rae. “It’s widely conceded that Canada played a key
role in creating the idea for that kind of a force.”
Pearson, who would go on to be prime minister, won the 1957 Nobel Peace — the only time
a Canadian has won the award as an individual.

In the decades that followed, Canada became one of the UN’s most active peacekeeping
contributors. Canadian troops served in missions around the world, including Cyprus, the
Golan Heights and the Balkans.
At times, entire battalions of Canadian soldiers were deployed overseas.
Blais remembers arriving in Cyprus in the winter of 1984 as part of a deployment of more
than 800 Canadian troops tasked with protecting a buffer zone between Greek Cypriot and
Turkish forces.

“It was very exciting, being presented with your blue beret,” said Blais, referring to the
iconic felt caps worn by peacekeepers from all contributing nations. “We were like a big
family.”

In 1993, at the peak of Canadian peacekeeping, over 3,300 uniformed personnel
contributed to UN missions.
“At the end of the Cold War, Canada was contributing huge amounts,” said Dorn, referring
to the Canadian soldiers posted in hotspots such as Bosnia, Cambodia, Mozambique and
Somalia.

Canada’s declining presence
Experts point to several turning points that contributed to Canada’s declining presence in
UN missions.
One major factor was the shift in Canadian military priorities following the Cold War, and
particularly after the Sept. 11, 2001attacks.
“We became a single-mission military with Afghanistan as our focus,” said Dorn. “That
meant that we wanted to withdraw from other places, and then we never picked up after
that.”

Canada’s combat deployment to Afghanistan in the 2000s absorbed significant resources
and attention within the Canadian Armed Forces, reducing its capacity to participate in
other missions.
At the same time, the nature of UN peacekeeping operations was changing.
During the Cold War, many missions involved monitoring ceasefire lines between states
embroiled in regional conflicts or post-colonial disputes.
But peacekeeping operations have become more complicated since then, says Dorn, often
involving civil wars, fragile governments and humanitarian crises that can prove costly.
“The complexity increased a lot,” said Dorn. “It means that the military has to be interacting
with a lot of civilians, with police, and with the different parties — and [the peacekeepers]
are deployed throughout a region [of operations], not just on the ceasefire line.”
Rae says Canada’s military leadership has become increasingly focused on other
international alliances throughout this period.
“The view of the Department of National Defence is that Canada’s primary obligations are
through NATO and NORAD,” said Rae, noting that officials in Ottawa often perceive these
institutions as having a more straightforward mandate.
“The public needs to be aware that whatever the political commitment of any government
might be, the actual position of the Department of National Defence is very negative on
peacekeeping.”

Canada’s current role
The Department of National Defence did not respond to a question from Canadian Affairs
regarding how many Canadian personnel it currently contributes to UN peacekeeping
missions.
The latest UN data show that 27 Canadians are currently serving in uniformed roles on UN
peacekeeping missions. This means Canada ranks 66th of all 118 contributing nations.
“The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is reviewing its global footprint across operations and
exercises worldwide and any decisions would be communicated formally once confirmed,”
a DND spokesperson told Canadian Affairs in an emailed statement. “The CAF remains
committed to working with allies and partners to protect Canada’s interests at home and
abroad.”
Canada’s 27 deployed peacekeepers currently support several UN missions, including
operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Cyprus and the Middle
East. These personnel serve in staff roles, military observer positions and other support
functions.

But Ottawa says Canada’s support for peacekeeping extends beyond headcount.
“Canada’s contribution to UN peacekeeping is broader than the number of uniformed
personnel currently deployed,” a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada told Canadian
Affairs in an emailed statement.
“While Canada’s current deployed footprint is modest, its contribution remains meaningful
and multidimensional, including police deployments, airlift support, funding, training, and
policy leadership,” said the spokesperson.
Canada currently contributes $147 million — or three per cent — of the UN’s peacekeeping
budget, ranking Canada eighth in spending of all contributing nations.
“In a rapidly changing and more dangerous world, Canada will continue to adapt its
support to UN peace operations in ways that are strategic, targeted and aligned with our
foreign policy and defence priorities,” said the spokesperson.
Asked whether he expects Canada’s recent increases in defence spending will boost
Canada’s peacekeeping presence, Dorn said:
“I would hope so. But it will depend on the international circumstances, and it will also
depend on the political will, because the military is not increasing their capacity to do
peacekeeping now.”
Dorn notes that Canada still has the capacity to be a “prolific and excellent peacekeeper,”
citing our well-trained, bilingual and multi-ethnic forces.
But it will take a strong political commitment from Ottawa to make peacekeeping a priority
again.
“There would need to be a political push,” he said. “Right now, there’s not enough political
will to overcome military resistance.
“That’s the bottom line.”

Sam Forster