The mission of the Canadian Forces is to defend Canada and Canadian interests and values while contributing to international peace and security. The world is in the midst of incredibly dramatic change. We continue to contribute to UN peacekeeping missions and other multilateral operations because Canadians believe they have a duty to promote stability and alleviate suffering caused by armed conflict. Canada has participated in virtually every peacekeeping mission ever organized, with more than 100,000 men and women posted all over the world during the last half century. We currently have more than 2,400 personnel serving overseas.
Peacekeeping always requires patience and discipline as well as innovation and courage.
We have made some mistakes on our peacekeeping missions, and some serious ones, but we've also achieved some remarkable successes and on balance we have, as a nation, done a great job. The Canadian Forces in the former Yugoslavia helped prevent fighting from spreading to other parts of the region. They saved countless lives by assisting in the delivery of humanitarian supplies and preventing more massive assaults on civilian populations. Today, we have just over a thousand people in Bosnia serving primarily with the brigade headquarters of the British division of NATO's Implementation Force and we will maintain our presence in this troubled part of Europe. Canadian Forces personnel are also on duty in Haiti.