Sunday, August 8, 2010 – OTTAWA – Today, police from across Canada joined military colleagues and UN peacekeeping veterans at a national ceremony in Ottawa to recognize the service and sacrifices of peacekeepers.
The National Peacekeepers' Day ceremony also served to honour the memories of Chief Superintendent Douglas Coates and Sgt. Mark Gallagher of the RCMP who lost their lives during the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.
Members of the Coates and Gallagher families attended the ceremony, where they received the United Nations' Dag Hammarskjöld Medal.
"The Canadian police community has much to reflect upon this National Peacekeepers' Day," said Commissioner William J.S. Elliott. "Doug and Mark's deaths and the serious injury of Sgt. Brian Kelly in Afghanistan last August certainly underscore the magnitude of personal sacrifice and risk that police officers face when volunteering to serve on a mission. But today is also an opportunity to recognize the enormous contributions made by our police officers under extremely challenging circumstances as well as the support of their families here at home."
"The Government of Canada offers its thanks to Canadian police officers serving as peacekeepers around the world for their courage and dedication," said Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. "I would also like to acknowledge their families for the sacrifices they make. Peacekeeping is part of Canada's strong tradition and exemplifies our commitment to building a safer and more secure world."
For the first time, the ceremony included a troop of police officers from various services across Canada involved in peace operations. Some of the troop members served in Haiti during the earthquake and worked with the two fallen RCMP members, including Insp. Michel Martin of the Sûreté du Québec who just returned from his year-long posting as contingent commander.
C/Supt. Coates and Sgt. Gallagher are the first police officers in the history of the RCMP's peace operations deployments to be killed while serving on a mission. In 2005, retired RCMP Sgt. Mark Bourque also lost his life in Haiti while serving as a peacekeeper through CANADEM.
Also among the troop were Sergeant Brian Kelly and Assistant Commissioner Graham Muir, who recently returned from a posting as Canadian Police Commander in Afghanistan.
Since 1989, more than 2,300 Canadian police have served on peace missions overseas through the RCMP's International Police Peace Operations Program. Today, 195 officers from 25 police services are serving on 13 operations in nine countries around the world, including Haiti, Afghanistan and Sudan, which are the program's key mission countries.
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