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UN, Canada at odds over restrictions on promised military transport plane

Mar 27, 2019 | 11:34 AM

OTTAWA — The United Nations is pushing back against restrictions Canada wants to put on the use of a military transport plane it promised to deploy in Africa.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first announced in November 2017 that Canada would send a C-130 Hercules to Uganda as part of a larger package of pledges to the UN.

However, the plan has run into numerous snags as Canadian, Ugandan and UN officials have wrangled for more than a year over the details.

One UN official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities, says Canada recently provided a list of conditions about where and when the plane can be used, including that the plane could only be used in daylight.

The UN says the restrictions are too broad and won’t meet the organization’s needs.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s spokesman Todd Lane says Canada and the UN are continuing to talk about how to fulfil the government’s promise to provide the aircraft.

The Canadian Press