Today, we celebrate National Peacekeepers' Day – a day to honour and remember Canadians who are serving or have served in peace operations overseas.
This year marks 65 years of Canadian involvement in peace operations overseas. RCMP members first served on a peace operation in 1989, and since then, more than 3,000 police officers from municipal and provincial services as well as the RCMP have answered the call.
On National Peacekeepers' Day, I would like to thank each and every one of you, the men and women who have served on missions, for your contributions and sacrifices. I thank your families for supporting you during your mission and allowing you to carry out your important work under difficult circumstances.
I would like to take a moment to reflect on our colleagues, C/Supt. Doug Coates and Sgt. Mark Gallagher, who lost their lives while in mission. Their contributions and sacrifices, as well as those of other peacekeepers who have passed away over the years, will not be forgotten.
National Peacekeepers' Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the successes of our missions – of which there are many. In Afghanistan, for example, three of our police officers are involved in training an elite team of Afghan police on high-risk takedowns and entries, improving the safety and effectiveness of their interventions.
Another group of Canadian police officers used their ingenuity to create a boat simulator training program for the Haitian Coast Guard, thus solving the costly problem of using scarce fuel to train officers aboard the actual boats.
Our contingents in Afghanistan, Haiti and Ivory Coast are involved in training local police officers on preventing and investigating domestic violence and sexual assault – issues which continue to be significant not just in these countries, but around the world.
Above and beyond their jobs abroad, Canadian police officers continue to support orphanages and schools to help create a brighter future for the children of our mission countries.
Please join me in thanking all our police peacekeepers present and past for their lasting contributions, in the service of peace.
Bob Paulson, Commissioner
