OTTAWA -- A new internal government report has once again raised questions about the risks of the Harper government's penchant for sending large teams of Canadian election monitors to Ukraine.

The March report, prepared by an outside consultant for the Foreign Affairs Department, says sending the bilateral missions of independent observers comes with some dangers to Canada's credibility.

But Foreign Affairs is defending the missions, saying they help promote Canadian values, such as supporting democracy.

The report is the latest in a series of internal government assessments that raise red flags about the Ukraine monitoring missions.

Ottawa sent 350 people to monitor the May 25 presidential ballot in Ukraine in a Canadian-led bilateral mission.

Another 150 Canadians went as part of a separate multinational effort led by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is seen as the most credible international body for conducting such missions.