EXPLAINING PEACEKEEPING TO LIBERALS

    The Conservative defence critic, James Bezan, is questioning the Trudeau government's decision to send peacekeeping troops to the troubled West African nation of Mali.
    Bezan said the Conservatives want to see Canada involved in more peacekeeping, including in Ukraine. But he said it must be in the national interest and in some cases, it may be preferable to fight under Canadian instead of UN command.
   "We know that this is incredibly dangerous," Bezan said. "We support our troops and know they are completely capable of doing it. But we are hesitant about putting our troops in harms way under UN command."
    "There is concern about how we are going to keep the peace when we have insurgencies, terrorism, failed states and multiple different missions going at the same time and no answers of how this is in Canada's national interest," he said.