July 14, 2005 - OTTAWA - In a landmark showing of solidarity between Canada's two uniformed services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli and the Chief of the Defence Staff for the Canadian Forces, General Rick Hillier, signed an official document outlining the RCMP's support for Canada's Reserve Force sailors, soldiers and aircrew.
The signing ceremony took place on July 12, 2005, at the RCMP headquarters in Ottawa. Commissioner Zaccardelli, signing the Statement of Support for the Reserve Force, noted, "Reserve Force personnel play a vital role in protecting Canada's interests at home and abroad and make a significant contribution to Canada's Defence programs. Our organization benefits greatly from the transferable skills and competencies that reservists, who are also members of the Public Service of Canada, bring back to the workplace from their military duties."
General Hillier co-signed the document. He added, "This program is critical in our country. As we move to transform the Canadian Forces, we need reservists more than ever to accomplish operations at home and abroad. Every federal government department and agency that supports reservists only adds to Canada's ability to defend itself and take its place on the world stage."
The Statement of Support formalizes the backing of the RCMP for the Reserve component of the Canadian Forces continuing to grant Public Service employees, not including RCMP members, the necessary time for Reserve Force activities. In addition, RCMP members can participate as instructors in the Canadian Cadet program, subject to operational requirements and in accordance with Canadian Forces and RCMP policies.
The RCMP signing is part of the Federal Reserve Force Awareness Campaign, in which 160 federal government departments and agencies are being approached to sign statements of support, endorsing the original Government of Canada Statement of Support for the Reserve Force, signed on Parliament Hill in May 2003. The federal government offers their reservist employees military leave for training or operations, without loss of seniority, benefits or annual leave.
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For more information, contact:
RCMP Media Relations
(613) 993-6147
