Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise in the House today to pay tribute to our peacekeepers in Bosnia.
I had the opportunity to visit some of our peacekeepers last week where I saw first hand their efforts to keep peace in that unfortunate country, enabling its people to rebuild their lives after years of war.
I observed significant progress in making it safer by ridding the country of the scourge of land mines. I met with pilots and the support staff of the CF-18 squadron based at Aviano, Italy, whose task was to enforce the no fly zone over Bosnia. I had the pleasure once again of meeting them as they return today after doing a job well done in Bosnia.
The peacekeepers in Bosnia are fine examples of dedicated, courageous professionals of the Canadian forces who have placed themselves at risk to help nations and peoples to find peaceful solutions to their disagreements. I am proud of these men and women, as are all Canadians.