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Canadian Peacekeeping Missions

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Canada is a nation of many positive contributions, it has aided others worldwide for a century now. In that span, Canada has done an array of things to prove itself to be a humanitarian nation. The country has assisted in providing aid for third world and first world countries that were victims of devastating events, accepted refugees who fled their home country without complications and have been in supportive peacekeeping missions.
Canada has provided aid for many third and first world countries. One of those countries was the United States of America. In 2005, when New Orleans, USA was hit with the destructive hurricane now famously known as Hurricane Katrina, Canada immediately responded with help. In a CBC article, it stated that…. …show more content…

One of those missions were the peacekeeping of Cyprus. Ever since 1964, tensions had greatened between ethnic groups in Cyprus. In its attempts to protect its freedoms and peace, Canada has been aiding the country to help achieve order. In a document by veterans.gc.ca, it stated that “In total, more than 25,000 Canadian Armed Forces members have served in Cyprus over the decades. Many of them served in Cyprus more than once, participating in several rotations.” (“CANADA REMEMBERS The Canadian Armed Forces in Cyprus”1). Many men and women dedicated their time to help with the conflicts. As mentioned, most of them came back to serve again which further proves the commitment they have towards their missions. Another popular peacekeeping mission that Canada was a part of was the UN Assistance mission for Rwanda during the Rwandan Genocide. Rwanda’s massive genocide in 1994, claimed the lives of over 800,000 innocent Tutsi people. Canada responds to this by joining the UN assistance mission for the people in Rwanda. In a novel written by Sherene Razack title “Dark Threats and White Knights: The Somalia Affair, Peacekeeping, and the New Imperialism”, she mentions that “Canadian peacekeepers found themselves in the middle of the Rwandan Genocide. Early in 1994, the commander of the UN peacekeeping mission, Canadian General Romero Dallaire had gathered evidence of an approaching and well-planned Hutu massacre of Tutsis. He appealed to his Canadian superior at the UN for help.” (Razack 19). When Canada arrived at Rwanda, the mere scale of the problem scarred many, including General Romero Dallaire who demanded that help was given to the victims. Although that help never arrived, his determination had a great impact in showing how much Canada wanted to contribute to the resolvement of the genocide. These missions proved that Canada was willing to assist in bringing the peace and order needed to improve

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