Mr. Speaker, we are not arguing about semantics but about the substance of the situation.
The major NATO allies are deploying reinforcements in the Balkans. The secretary-general of the United Nations is proposing to change the mandate and UN soldiers are being asked to play a more aggressive role in that part of the country.
Our peacekeepers have become peace enforcers, a role which goes against the original mandate and for which they are not properly equipped.
Given that our role is changing, no matter what words the minister wishes to use to describe it, and that the lives of Canadian soldiers are being placed at greater risk, will the government now demand a place for Canada in the UN decision making contact group?