Mr. Chair, the drop in Canadian peacekeepers happened during the Chrétien decade of darkness years of military cutbacks, starting in 1994 during the UN mission to Rwanda. Canada's UN troop contributions dropped from 2,585 in January 1995, to 254 by December of 1997.
Exchanging places with countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, and Rwanda represents a need to aggressively recruit new personnel. Where is this additional cost in the estimates, or will the minister be seeking new appropriations from Parliament once his department presents the options for the so-called renewal of Canada's commitment to UN peacekeeping operations?