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Canada's national security depends on intervening to prevent mass atrocities and should be a national priority, according to a new report.
"If we continue to deal with looming genocides and other mass atrocities in a reactive manner, we will confront more than just the moral failure to save lives," the authors write, adding, "inevitably, Canada and the U.S. will face threats to their own national security and prosperity."
Along with beefing up the Canadian Forces, it suggests creating a civilian-led Canadian Prevention Corps to work with special envoys on preventative diplomacy and
... creating a civilian-led Canadian Prevention Corps to work with special envoys on preventative diplomacy and fact-finding missions.
Frank Chalk, a history professor at Concordia, an expert on genocide and a co-director of the project, said Canada could have brought pressure on the Rwandan government, from freezing bank accounts to expelling Rwandan students often the children of officials who would later fan the genocide from Canadian universities.
These sorts of soft power reactions should be the first resort in future crises, the report said. But if diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions don't work, countries must be prepared to use force.
For example, mass atrocities often precipitate the spread of communicable diseases. Those fleeing such conflicts could be carriers of such diseases and could end up in Canada.
"If we continue to deal with looming genocides and other mass atrocities in a reactive manner, we will confront more than just the moral failure to save lives," the authors write, adding, "inevitably, Canada and the U.S. will face threats to their own national security and prosperity."