RCMP celebrates 20 years of Canadian police contributions overseas with commemorative coin launch

Friday, May 29, 2009 - OTTAWA - Over the past 20 years, more than 2,000 Canadian police have served in some of the world's most challenging places in the name of peace, including several African countries, the Middle East, the Balkans, Haiti, East Timor and Afghanistan.

“Celebrating the achievements of the many police officers who have served on missions is an important part of our 20th anniversary celebrations,” says Supt. Paul Young, Director of the International Peace Operations Branch. “It is also an opportunity to bring to light the impact this program has on the safety of communities both abroad and here in Canada.”

Today, on UN Peacekeepers’ Day, the RCMP is symbolically recognizing the service and sacrifices of all Canadian police who have served on missions by presenting the new International Peace Operations commemorative coin.

UN Peacekeepers’ Day holds special significance for the RCMP and its partners in international peace operations. The majority of Canadian police deployments have been and continue to be to UN-led missions.

The event, which is taking place today at the National Peacekeepers’ Monument in Ottawa at 2 pm, is also the official launch of the commemorative coin.

The coin recipients are from municipal, provincial and federal police services in Ontario and Quebec:

• Ontario Provincial Police,
• Ottawa Police Service,
• Greater Sudbury Police Service,
• Durham Regional Police Service,
• Peterborough-Lakefield Community Police,
• Toronto Police Service
• Sûreté du Québec,
• Gatineau Police Service,
• Service de police de la ville de Montréal, and
• RCMP

Among the recipients are members of the first contingent, which deployed to Namibia in October 1989: one of the first police women to participate on a mission, and Assistant Commissioner Graham Muir, who is about to deploy as the first Canadian Police Commander in Afghanistan. Together, the recipients represent more than half of the 29 mission countries where Canadian police have served.

About the coin

The International Peace Operations Commemorative coin was created to enable the RCMP to personally recognize the contributions of Canadian police who have served overseas on behalf of Canada’s International Police Peace Operations Program.

It was initiated by RCMP Corporal Paul Woods, International Peace Operations Branch, and it is modeled on the tradition of the Military Challenge Coin.

For more information:
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Media Relations, 613-993-2999