Canada Falls Short on Promoting Women in Peacekeeping

Strategic Insights -

Ottawa's efforts to become a leader in promoting women in peacekeeping have stalled, with only two women from the Canadian military currently deployed on United Nations peacekeeping missions. This raises concerns that Canada may be called out by the UN for missing its targets and undermining its image on the world stage. In 2017, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched a feminist foreign policy initiative aimed at increasing the number of women in peacekeeping, but statistics show that the number of female Canadian Armed Forces members contributing to peacekeeping has dwindled significantly.

Key Takeaways:

  • The current UN statistics show that only 29 Canadians are deployed on 11 current UN peacekeeping missions, with none of the 18 military staff officers being women.
  • The UN target for women in peacekeeping is 22%, but Canada has not met this target, with none of the military staff officers being women.
  • Three of the six police officers deployed are women, but this is not enough to meet the UN's target.
  • Professor Walter Dorn from the Royal Military College of Canada stated that Ottawa's poor showing in meeting UN targets is "embarrassing in the international community" and will likely cause the UN to flag Canada.
  • The lack of female representation in peacekeeping may put coveted UN peacekeeping positions held by Canada at risk of being taken away.
  • The Canadian government has stated that the numbers fluctuate over time and that there are currently six women overall: four police officers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and two Canadian Armed Forces members deployed on missions in the Middle East and South Sudan.
  • The government has also stated that there are 22 women, police and civilians, deployed on "peace operations" missions, but did not provide further information.

Statistics:

  • Only 2 women from the Canadian military are currently deployed on UN peacekeeping missions out of a total of 28 Canadians deployed.
  • None of the 18 Canadian military staff officers on UN peacekeeping missions are women.
  • The UN target for women in peacekeeping is 22%.
  • 3 of the 6 police officers deployed on UN peacekeeping missions are women.
  • There are 6 women overall: 4 police officers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 2 Canadian Armed Forces members deployed on missions in the Middle East and South Sudan.
  • 22 women are deployed on "peace operations" missions, according to the Canadian government.

Sources:

  • The Canadian Press
  • UN peacekeeping statistics
  • Royal Military College of Canada
  • Department of National Defence statement
  • Professor Walter Dorn's interview with The Canadian Press