Canada won’t extend peacekeeping mission in Mali: Freeland
OTTAWA — The Trudeau government will not extend Canada’s peacekeeping mission in Mali despite a direct appeal from the United Nations for it to stay longer to prevent a gap in the provision of lifesaving medical evacuations.
Speaking to reporters at the end of a major peacekeeping conference in New York, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada committed the military to being in Mali for one year — and that is what it will do.
“It is important for us to keep our word,” she said. “To keep our word to Canadians. To keep our word to the UN. To keep our word to partners around the world. And to keep our word to Mali. And that is exactly what we have done.