Senator Percy E. Downe

National Peacekeepers’ Day

Saturday, August 9th, 2008
7:30 p.m.

Prince County Cenotaph

Summerside, Prince Edward Island

National Peacekeepers’ Day legislates August 9th as an annual date for honouring and remembering those who served and those who died as peacekeepers. August 9th was chosen because 34 years ago on that date, nine of our peacekeepers were killed in a plane that was struck by a surface-to-air missile en route from Beirut to Damascus. This is Canada’s worst one-day peacekeeping loss.

National Peacekeepers’ Day is intended to honour those who have served in peacekeeping missions…..most notably, of course, but not only..…members of the Canadian forces.

In addition to the military, many people have helped to rebuild civil society in several countries, including members from the RCMP; the municipal and provincial police, who have helped train local police; judges; municipal administrators; NGO’s, and civilians from many different walks of life.

Canada’s proud history in peacekeeping stems from the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson’s visionary efforts to diffuse the conflict over access to the Suez Canal. In 1956, France, Israel, and the United Kingdom were in conflict with Egypt. As tensions mounted and armies mobilized, Mr. Pearson proposed an international force be deployed under the UN Flag. Mr. Pearson believed it was critical to launch a neutral and multilateral contingent of peacekeepers to act as a buffer between opposing groups. As a testament to Mr. Pearson’s pivotal role in preventing the outbreak of war, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.

Traditional peacekeeping missions revolved around supervising cease-fires and monitoring the activities of opposing forces. These types of peacekeeping operations were not designed to impose a solution, and success was dependent on the level of cooperation between parties. However, over the last fifty years, peacekeeping operations have expanded to address the complexities of modern conflicts.

Today’s peacekeeping missions launched by such organizations as the UN, EU, NATO, and the AU, are demanding exercises. Modern warfare now commonly involves intra-state conflicts, targeting of civilians, and frequent violations of international conventions of war. Peacekeepers are also often deployed to areas where there is no peace to keep. As a result of this reality, peacekeepers’ responsibilities can now include disarming military forces; providing security to a population; organizing and monitoring elections; training local police forces; and ensuring the mobility of humanitarian convoys.

While the nature of peacekeeping operations has obviously changed, Canada’s fierce commitment to promoting international peace and security has not wavered. Over the decades, over 120,000 Canadians have served in more than 50 UN peacekeeping missions.

Establishing this annual day compliments previous efforts to ensure Canada’s peacekeepers are never forgotten. These initiatives include the construction of the National Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa, the launch of the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medals, and the opening of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre.

Today is the day to honour our peacekeepers. It is also a day to remember that for every peacekeeper who served overseas, there were wives, husbands, children, and parents left in Canada who also paid a price for the services of their loved ones. Children whose fathers and mothers were absent for important events in their lives……spouses who were lonely and worried about the safety of their partners……parents who lived through the world war, and now their own children were in danger zones.

We thank them as well for their contribution to Canada’s Peacekeeping.

I conclude with a quote from Lester B Pearson, Canada’s foremost statesmen:

“Of all our dreams today there is none more important - or so hard to realize - than that of peace in the world. May we never lose our faith in it or our resolve to do everything that can be done to convert it one day into reality.”

Thank you for your service to Canada and the world.