The history of National Peacekeepers' Day

August 9 is National Peacekeepers’ Day in Canada. Established in 2008, it commemorates and honours personnel of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, provincial and municipal police forces, as well as Canadian diplomats and civilians who have worked in support of international peace and security operations. A national ceremony is held each year in Ottawa at the Peacekeeping Monument.

Peacekeeping operations under the direction of the United Nations Security Council have a distinct Canadian origin. In 1956, during the Suez Canal Crisis, Canada sought to minimize the impact of the crisis upon a faltering NATO alliance. Lester B. Pearson was Canada’s Secretary of State for External Affairs, who, working alongside UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, brought forward the idea of an armed peacekeeping force to stabilize the region and operate as an armed non-combatant. In this objective, Pearson also offered a battalion of Canadian troops.

The United Nations Emergency Force was created under the leadership of Canadian Major-General Burns. One challenge was that Canadian uniforms were very similar to British uniforms, so a quick decision was made to paint surplus helmets a light blue to identify the troops as UN Peacekeepers: The “Blue Helmets” were born. Lester B. Pearson was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1957, and served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 until 1968.

Since its beginnings in 1956, more than 125,000 Canadians have participated in countless international peacekeeping efforts around the world, charged with protecting human rights, observing ceasefires, restoring the rule of law, supervising peace negotiations, and helping to rebuild after war. 

National Peacekeepers’ Day allows us to say thanks to and honour our peacekeepers for their courage and service, and to remember the 130 Canadians who have lost their lives in peacekeeping operations since 1956.

So what about Mississauga connections? The Lorne Scots Regiment is located primarily in Brampton, Georgetown and Oakville, and has historically drawn much of their recruits from Peel and Halton counties. The Lorne Scots have been involved in multiple peacekeeping missions over their long history, including during conflicts at the Golan Heights, Namibia, Cambodia, Cyprus and the Former Yugoslavia. Similarly, members of the Toronto Scottish Regiment, who maintain an armoury in Mississauga, have also been deployed on multiple peacekeeping missions.

We thank them for their brave and selfless service.