Canada & the UN > Canada at the UN: A Proud Tradition

A Tradition of Peace

We Canadians are proud of Canada’s peaceful, non-imperial, and non-colonial past. Forged through consensus and cooperation, Canada has become a strong and free country. Since the establishment of the United Nations, Canada has actively pursued and defended the role of peacekeeper. During the creation of the United Nations, Canada insisted that states which contributed to UN security measures "participate in the decisions of the Council concerning the employment of contingents of that member’s armed forces" (Charter of the United Nations, Article 44). In other words, if a country contributed to UN security initiatives, it should have a say over the security measures. This proposal resulted in greater equality between non-Security Council and Security Council members.

One of the defining events in Canadian history occurred when Lester B. Pearson, future Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner, played a central role in the creation of UN peacekeeping. During the Suez Crisis, he proposed the establishment of a UN peacekeeping force to restore the peace. Canada has continued to play a leading role in peacekeeping, and has been involved in almost every UN peacekeeping mission.

Canada recognizes that peacekeeping is beneficial to the international community. Canada’s exemplary record in peacekeeping will continue, a record that is increasingly benefiting from qualified civilians and police who complement the excellent work of the Canadian Armed Forces. Election monitors have helped build democracy by ensuring free and fair elections in locations around the world. Canadian police forces have played a key role in helping to stabilize countries such as Bosnia and Haiti by training their police. Other Canadians have been active in helping warring parties negotiate peace. Increasingly, Canadian peacebuilding is gaining a reputation similar to our proud tradition of peacekeeping.