Mr. Speaker, with regard to the announcement made by the Minister of National Defence on August 26, 2016, no decision has been made on a deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces as part of United Nations peace support operations. The detailed information requested currently constitutes advice to ministers and is cabinet confidence.
The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces developed a variety of options for the government to consider for it to meet its commitment to renew Canada’s commitment to United Nations peace support operations. The indicative incremental cost estimate was based on costing methodology and planning assumptions. The development of these options involved extensive consultation within the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, with foreign governments, and with international organizations. Individuals and organizations were consulted via email, in person, video teleconference, and telephone.
As is standard practice, force protection and risk-mitigation issues will be determined based on mission-specific threats. Rules of engagement are always mission-specific and are resolved through a combination of United Nations mandates and Canadian legal processes, and are approved by the Chief of the Defence Staff.
In processing parliamentary returns, the government applies the Privacy Act and the principles set out in the Access to Information Act, and certain information has been withheld on the grounds that the information relates to national security, defence, and international affairs.