Canada's Intervention Dilemma
Working Group on Canada’s Intervention Dilemma: Matching Interests, Objectives and Means
Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Working Group, which has been formed by Drs. David Black, Ann Griffiths and Michael MacKinnon, will examine the issue “Canada’s Intervention Dilemma” through a multi-phase approach that will include this opening workshop, a public seminar and a publication process.
The overall objective of this Working Group is twofold:
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Identify effective contributions Canada can make to multinational peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations that do not require significant military contingents. (I.e., promote a more engaged Canadian policy in a select number of priority missions as opposed to placing all resources into just one major operation at a time.);
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Identify operational and practical reforms the Canadian government can undertake to maximise efficiencies through the “Whole of Government” approach once a decision to intervene is made.
The Group aims to address the issue of Canada’s intervention dilemma by: 1) discussing the strategic environment in which Canadian policy-makers find themselves today; 2) examining recent experiences of Canada and other governments in complex peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions; and, 3) debating possible policy recommendations intended to increase the effectiveness of Canadian contributions to multilateral interventions.
The workshop intends to bring together a small yet wide-ranging group of knowledgeable government officials and NGO representatives with operational experience (especially with the Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan case studies) to discuss the core questions and identify the most promising policy areas that might yield new or refined recommendations to policy-makers. The Group’s members will produce a brief framing document in advance of the workshop to set the initial scope of the issue(s) and discussion. Ideally, this workshop will provide the Group’s members with a clear sense as to the most pressing operational and practical reforms from the perspective of the participants. This discussion should confirm and prioritise the next research steps for the Working Group and pave the way for the production of the first draft of the Group’s report.
It is hoped that the 31 March workshop will set the stage for a productive research exercise that will result in a number of policy recommendations aimed at all relevant decision-makers in Ottawa, but, in particular, DND, DFAIT, CIDA, RCMP and the PMO/PCO.
Contact
Dr. Michael MacKinnon, Chair
mackinn4@hotmail.com