August 9, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on National Peacekeepers’ Day:

“Today, as we mark the 15th anniversary of the first National Peacekeepers’ Day, we honour the courage, dedication, and commitment of all Canadians who have served – and continue to serve – in peacekeeping operations around the globe.

“National Peacekeepers’ Day is also an opportunity to pay tribute to all those who were wounded or made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of a more peaceful world, including the victims of United Nations (UN) Flight 51. On this day in 1974, UN Flight 51 was shot down by Syrian missiles, killing all nine Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel onboard. This tragedy – the greatest single-day loss of Canadian lives on a peacekeeping mission – serves as a sombre and enduring reminder of the risks peacekeepers take every day.

“Canada’s proud tradition as a peacekeeping nation dates back to the late 1940s, when the UN sent military observers, including eight Canadian officers, to ease tensions in the disputed region of Kashmir. Since then, more than 125,000 members of the CAF, civilians, diplomats, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and members from Indigenous, provincial, municipal, and regional police organizations have participated in close to a hundred peacekeeping efforts around the world.

“The Government of Canada continues to support efforts to make peacekeeping more effective and more inclusive. We continue to rally other countries in support of the Vancouver Principles, which we launched in 2017 to protect children and prevent the recruitment of child soldiers by armed groups and armed forces. And through the Elsie Initiative, we are working to increase the meaningful participation of women in UN peace operations, to help achieve transformational change for peace operations.

“Canada’s leadership in peacekeeping is a source of national pride. On this day, I invite all Canadians to learn more about our support to peacekeeping operations around the world. To all peacekeepers, past and present: thank you for your service.”