Our Mandate

The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre supports Canada's contribution to international peace and security by conducting a programme of education, training and research on all aspects of peace operations.

History of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre

The Government of Canada established the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in 1994. The Centre was named in honour of Lester B. Pearson, former Prime Minister of Canada and recipient of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize for the establishment of UNEF I, the first modern peacekeeping operation.

Canada was responding to changes in the dynamic of violent conflict and the need to develop new strategies for peace. Classical Peacekeeping operations conducted during the Cold War era usually involved only the military. The process leading to the deployment of a United Nations force was straightforward: war, ceasefire, an invitation from the conflict parties to monitor the ceasefire followed by the deployment of military observers, while negotiations for a political settlement continued.

In contrast, contemporary Peace Operations became increasingly complex. They were:

• Deployed into both inter-State and intra-State conflicts.
  
• Conducted in every phase of the conflict spectrum, from Prevention through to Peacemaking, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding.
  
• Dependent on close cooperation between military, civilian and civilian police organizations from the international community, and with conflict parties and war-affected populations.

The increasing demands of conflict prevention and resolution, and the growing scope of Canada’s involvement in all aspects of peace operations required the creation of a focal point for education, training and research activities. The teaching environment needed to be multi-disciplinary and international, providing a location where persons from different professional backgrounds - civilian, military and police - and different cultural and national backgrounds could learn together. The diversity simulated real field conditions.

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) invited the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies (CISS) to establish an independent centre using facilities at the former Canadian Forces Base in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. The Centre was officially opened on 24 April 1995 at Cornwallis Park in a ceremony with over 500 guests.

The inauguration was presided over by the Founding President of the Centre, Alex Morrison, and featured serving and retired Canadian military, RCMP and civilian peace operations veterans. Invited dignitaries included the Honourable David Collenette, Minister of National Defence; Honourable Jean-Jacques Blais, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Former Minister of National Defence; Brigadier-General Don Macnamara, President of the CISS; Honourable John Savage, Premier of Nova Scotia; and Ambassador Geoffrey Pearson, son of The Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, former Prime Minister of Canada after whom the Centre is named.

The first course “Creating Common Ground: Peacekeeping Negotiation and Mediation” was held concurrently, with 25 students from 10 countries participating in the opening ceremonies. Since then, we have hosted over 6000 persons from Canada and 142 other countries. We have also conducted off-site activities in approximately 30 countries on behalf of DFAIT and DND. Our Montréal Campus opened four years later in 1999 to serve the growing Francophone constituency in Canada and abroad.

Our learning services continue to evolve in response to the changing nature of international peace operations. Courses are updated on a regular basis to ensure they are current and relevant, and we are constantly recruiting new faculty. As a result, the Centre is internationally recognized for the quality of our programmes. Many former participants, interns and faculty hold key positions in national and international organizations that are involved in peace operations, giving the Centre a large international network to draw on. We have also moved to new activities that build on past experience. These services include a new focus on capacity building initiatives and support to missions in the field.

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