Sajjan to mark Peacekeepers Day at United Nations despite mission indecision
OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is expected to face pointed questions when he travels to the United Nations next week to help commemorate those peacekeepers who have been killed in the line of duty.
The minister is scheduled to travel to New York next Wednesday, where he will participate in the UN’s annual ceremony for honouring the more than 3,500 blue helmets who have been killed since 1948.
The International Day for UN Peacekeepers is May 29, but that falls on Memorial Day in the U.S. this year, so the world body is remembering its fallen peacekeepers the week before.
Sajjan will also preside over a luncheon to launch Canada’s hosting of a major peacekeeping summit in Vancouver this coming November, and meet with the new head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.