32nd Annual Peacekeepers' Day Memorial Ceremony

The 32nd annual Peacekeepers' Day Memorial Parade will be held in Esquimalt Memorial Park at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 9th. Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces personnel, police and civilians who served in peace support operations will be remembered. An aircraft from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron will fly past in salute.

Commander Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, Captain(N) Kevin Whiteside, will join federal, provincial and municipal representatives, leaders of veteran’s organizations and family members bestowed the Memorial Cross that represents the loss of a family member.

The local commemoration is organized by the British Columbia Chapter of the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association with the assistance of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.

The BC Government in 1993 was the first jurisdiction to declare a Memorial Day to honour those who have died in the service of peace. It became a National Day of Remembrance in 2008.

Important commemorative events:

August 9th marks the largest single day loss of lives during peace operations. Nine Canadian Forces members perished when their Buffalo aircraft was shot out of the sky over Syria in 1974. Syrian Forces claimed that they believed the slow-moving propeller driven Buffalo Aircraft in white and blue United Nations colours was an Israeli fighter jet.

In 2024 we also mark the 60th anniversary of the one of the longest continuing United Nations peacekeeping operations. Since 1964, more than 25,000 Canadians served in Cyprus. The mission demonstrates that peacemaking is necessary before there is a peace to keep.

This year is also the 30th anniversary of the tragic UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) that exposed how weak rules of engagement and lack of political will contributed to a failed mission.

Paul Paone (paulj_paone@telus.net)

250-480-8709