Ceremony
dedicating Canada as a Peace Nation
Sri Chinmoy Peace Blossoms
Program
By Hon. David Kilgour, Secretary of State
(Latin America & Africa)
Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, November 30, 1998
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very pleased to offer my sincere congratulations
on the dedication of Canada as a Peace Nation
in the international Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossoms
program. We are honoured to join the over
800 other worldwide locations who share
Canada’s earnest dedication to creating
a peaceful global community.
Canada has a celebrated history of being
a nation committed to the ideals of peace.
Add to that record recent initiatives, and
the result is an ever growing legacy focused
on the promotion of peace and the desire
to see other nations adopt this spirit.
The principles of the Peace Blossoms program
– encouraging global friendship and
understanding while serving as a constant
reminder of the importance of peace –
are truly reflected in Canada’s actions.
Peacebuilding is high on Canada’s
agenda. It marks a strong effort to address
human security needs along with military
security as a way to encourage and sustain
peace. Canada’s contribution to international
peacebuilding is being strengthened to better
coordinate our resources. The hope is that
countries will be able to regain control
over their own destiny, allowing for meaningful
political and cultural development.
The treaty banning anti-personnel land
mines was a major step in towards ending
the death and destruction caused by these
weapons. Canada was at the forefront of
this initiative and will continue to work
to see it implemented to its fullest.
As a leader in the development of the nuclear
test-ban treaty, Canada is working to ensure
that it leads to the ultimate eradication
of all nuclear weapons.
In the future, Canada will continue to
work promoting peace in hopes that other
countries may follow in our footsteps and
those of the other members of the Peace
Blossoms Program.
Thank you
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