Preamble

WHEREAS in 1956 the Minister of External Affairs, the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, proposed the first United Nations peacekeeping mission and, since that time, Canada has been a leader in keeping the peace around the world, with more than one hundred thousand members of the Canadian Forces participating in peacekeeping and peace support operations along with many members of Canadian police services, diplomats and civil- ians;

WHEREAS one hundred and sixty-four Canadian Forces peacekeepers have lost their lives while keeping the peace around the world in over sixty-six missions;

AND WHEREAS on August 9, 1974, nine Canadian Forces peacekeepers were killed when their plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while en route from Beirut to Damascus;