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Canada  

Troops may go on mission

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is not ruling out sending troops on a peacekeeping mission this year, even though Canada has not yet told the United Nations what it is up to.

Trudeau says the Liberal government is still looking "very carefully" at ways to make good on last summer's pledge to allot up to 600 troops and 150 police officers for UN peacekeeping operations, plus $450 million over three years on peace and stability projects.

The CBC is reporting the UN has yet to receive formal notice of that contribution, but Trudeau says he would not draw any conclusions from that.

Trudeau says he knows Canada needs to play "a strong and effective role on the world stage," but that this must be done in a way that suits its "capacities" and he wants to make sure they get it right.

The prime minister says Canada has "a difficult history" as blue helmets in Africa, and he is not going to "fast-track" a decision without studying the impact it will have — both overseas and on Canadians back home.

Trudeau is on Parliament Hill today for a rare weekend Liberal caucus meeting, where MPs are discussing the budget and the how to make the most of their remaining time in Ottawa before they go home for the summer.



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