Canadian Military History Volume 22 Issue 4 Article 6 2013 The Somalia Affair The Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History J.L. Granatstein Dean F. Oliver Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation J.L. Granatstein and Dean F. Oliver "The Somalia Affair The Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History." Canadian Military History 22, 4 (2013) This Canadian War Museum is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. and : The Somalia Affair The Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History The Somalia Affair The Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History J.L. Granatstein and Dean F. Oliver n late 1992, the Mulroney breaking point by budget cuts and Little further happened until, in Igovernment dispatched the force reductions and a continuing 1994 and 1995, videos made by CAR Canadian Airborne Regiment string of high-profile and dangerous soldiers showed racist attitudes and (CAR) and, a few months later, international security deployments. vile acts during hazing rituals at a reconnaissance squadron from In 1992, the CAR, the Canadian Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, the the Royal Canadian Dragoons, to Forces’ quick reaction force, was CAR’s base. The resulting firestorm Somalia to serve in a United States- the only suitable combat unit not of public criticism all but forced run humanitarian peace enforcement already deployed, recovering from the minister of national defence in mission.