Speaking Notes for The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence – United Nations Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial Heads of Delegation Dinner

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Vancouver, British Columbia
November 14^th, 2017

Good evening. I am very pleased to welcome you to this dinner and to the Vancouver Ministerial.

I hope you’re all enjoying the opportunity to renew old friendships and to get to know some of the new faces in the room.

We all represent countries and organizations that share a commitment to the United Nations and to peace support operations around the globe.

Together, we feel an urgent need to build on the UN’s peacekeeping legacy by improving its ability to be effective in a changing world.

Canada is encouraged by the Secretary-General’s efforts to reform key pillars within the UN system, including management, development, peace and security and gender.

And we support his efforts to focus the UN more on prevention.

We must understand what is happening on the ground in order to contribute to efforts that will result in positive outcomes.

Today, the nature of conflict has changed, and so must the ways in which we conduct peace operations. Nations face threats from violent extremists which require a comprehensive response that encompasses military, political, humanitarian, and development efforts.

 As they seek education and jobs, young people are facing challenges that our generation could not imagine.

The old approach and solutions won’t work anymore. We need to think innovatively about how we move forward.

To do this, we need to see the situation for ourselves. We need to speak directly to those who know best. We need to respect the knowledge and experience that they have, and learn from it. We need to understand the root causes that cause conflict.

The challenges we face won’t be solved in a day.

They won’t be solved all at once, in a “eureka” moment.

This is complex work. It resists easy solutions. Capability gaps remain – and need to be addressed.

But progress begins when we set ourselves to the task of renewal and reinvention.

It begins when we start thinking about peacekeeping through the lens of partnership – and when we embrace innovative ways of training.

And it begins when we set ourselves to the task of building a peacekeeping model that meets the challenges of both today and tomorrow.

Enhancing the role of women, in particular, is an imperative for the UN and all who believe in it.

This ministerial is our opportunity to show what we can accomplish together.

It is our opportunity to demonstrate that when properly mandated, resourced, and supported, peacekeeping remains one of the most flexible and effective tools to respond to crises around the globe.

As many of you know, peacekeeping occupies a central place in the Canadian identity.

Together as a country, we celebrate Lester Pearson, the Prime Minister who helped to create the first UN peacekeeping force – to resolve the Suez Crisis of 1956.

We remember the words of the committee that gave him the Nobel Peace Prize, which is on display on the first level of the VCC. They said Pearson did more than anyone “to save the world at that time.”

What better legacy could a country ever wish for?

In a place of prominence in our national capital, we have built a monument to commemorate our historic and ongoing role in international peacekeeping missions – and the soldiers who have put themselves in harm’s way to serve a greater good.

Here in Vancouver, members of the Seaforth Highlanders, and the British Columbia Regiment, among others, have served proudly and with distinction in peacekeeping missions around the world.

By the way, Pearson himself served in the military – first as a medical orderly and later as a flying officer.

It was through his experience serving his country, that he gained an appreciation for the devestation of war. He understood that he needed to dedicate the rest of his life to preventing it.

Years later, as a diplomat and a politician, Pearson’s experiences were reflected in his realist outlook on the world.

He knew that global conflicts were only going to get more complex, more difficult to resolve. As he described it, “We are forever climbing the ever-mounting slope.”

Those of us here tonight know the slope is becoming more daunting. But climb we must. 

Our task here over the next two days is to build on the momentum gained from the strong work done at previous Ministerial gatherings in London and in New York, in pursuit of better results.

And my friends, let us seize on the words of Lester Pearson.

Let us devote our time together to putting into action “all that is good and noble and excellent in the human spirit.”

Thank you.