Mr. Speaker, Canada is committed to building a safer, more prosperous world. Our government is proud of what it accomplished at the 2017 UN ministerial conference on peacekeeping held in Vancouver.
At that conference, we committed to increasing the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations in a number of ways. At the event, we announced the Vancouver principles on peacekeeping. The principles include taking a firmer approach to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers in peacekeeping operations. Those principles came together in large part thanks to the hard work of General Roméo Dallaire.
Another initiative supported at the Vancouver conference was the Elsie initiative. As part of that initiative, Canada will work with its partners to provide assistance and offer incentives in order to increase the proportion of women deployed in UN peacekeeping operations and expand the essential role women play. It has been proven that conflict resolution happens faster and peace lasts longer when women are involved.
The Prime Minister has been clear about his commitment to gender equality and the participation of women in missions.
We will ensure that Canada contributes to achieving the UN Security Council's objectives by increasing the number of women deployed in peace operations.
Building on the achievements of the Vancouver conference, last week our government announced Canada's second joint commitment, namely to deploy an air task force for the UN mission in Mali for a 12-month period.
I want to point out that this is a deployment to a francophone country where the bilingualism of our forces members will be an asset. We promised Canadians that we would renew our commitment to peacekeeping and that is exactly what we are doing.
Last week, at the request of the UN, we announced that Canada will provide an air task force comprising two Chinook helicopters and four Griffon helicopters that will provide much-needed transportation and logistical capabilities, as well as escort and armed protection capabilities. The deployment will also include a certain number of Canadian Armed Forces members. This is another example of our government's commitment to engage in the world.
Of course, safety and security during these operations and the well-being of the women and men of our armed forces are of the utmost importance. Although we cannot eliminate all risk, we will always work to mitigate risks facing members of the Canadian Armed Forces during their operations. Our forces will have the appropriate equipment and will receive the necessary training for their missions. We promised Canadians that we would renew our commitment to peacekeeping, and this is exactly what we are doing.
This is another example of our government's commitment to getting involved around the world, and I am proud to say that we are continuing on this path. Tomorrow, the Minister of National Defence will address the United Nations Security Council regarding combined efforts to improve the UN's peacekeeping operations.
Canada is once again showing leadership in global security, whether it is by leading the NATO enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup in Latvia, providing military training in Ukraine, or contributing essential assets to the UN's peacekeeping operations.