Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great pride to congratulate and recognize one of the finest military training facilities and some of the finest military personnel that we have anywhere in North America.
Over 150 soldiers from CFB Shilo embarked on a six month tour of Bosnia yesterday. Most of the troops on tour are from the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery along with soldiers from other sections and branches of CFB Shilo.
This marks the largest deployment out of CFB Shilo since 1992 when troops departed for Cyprus. It also marks the historic occasion of the first operational use of Canadian artillery since the Korean war. Our troops will be replacing a British light artillery unit in Bosnia. The first rotation of troops left yesterday and will be followed by a second rotation in April.
I would like to extend my congratulations to all the soldiers at CFB Shilo and wish them a safe return in October.