Canada's commitment to peacekeeping is recognized throughout the world. Today is the first National Peacekeepers Day in Canada and a celebration was held in Ottawa honouring those who have served their country.
It has taken some time but today, Canada honoured its peacekeepers with the celebration of the first National Peacekeepers Day.
Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson
addressed the approximately 100 Canadian Forces and RCMP veterans of peacekeeping missions saying that that they represent the very essence of Canada.
"It's who we are, its what we stand for," Thompson said. "And it's what other nations think of when they see the Canadian Maple Leaf."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was not present but in a written statement, describing peacekeeping efforts as "a symbol of our country's commitment to building a more safe and secure world."
After years of lobbying by groups representing peacekeeping veterans for a national day of recognition, that day has come, but not until this June was one officially created, with the passage of a private member's bill sponsored by Liberal MP Bren St. Denis.
Aug. 9 was chosen because it was on that day in 1974 that nine Canadian peacekeepers died when their plane was downed by a Syrian missile as it prepared to land in Damascus.
More than 200 Canadians have died on international peacekeeping duty since the 1950s.
The peacekeepers are commemorated at a monument erected a few blocks from Parliament Hill in 1992, the site of the ceremony Saturday.
Presently, the Canadian military is stretched thin by its combat role in Afghanistan and is devoting fewer resources and personnel to United Nations and other international peacekeeping missions
"There are serious combat elements to it [but] when you step back the ultimate goal is not to win a war," the Liberal MP said after the ceremony. "The objective is peace between and among the combatants."
National Peacekeepers Day
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