Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent his best wishes to citizens of the "greatest country in the world," pointing to the Afghan mission as an example of Canadians' spirit of generosity.
In a recorded Christmas message posted on the website of the Prime Minister's Office, Harper used the holiday season to reflect on the joy of giving, both to loved ones and those less fortunate.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, pose on their front step in Ottawa on Dec. 18. In a recorded Christmas message posted on the internet, Harper used the holiday season to reflect on the joy of giving.
(Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
"That spirit of generosity is one of the things that defines us as Canadians and its purest expression today is the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, where our soldiers, diplomats and aid workers are, at great cost to themselves, helping the Afghan people rebuild their shattered country."
About 2,500 Canadian troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier arrived at the airfield in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday and spent Christmas Day serving dinner to about 900 members of the force in a show of support for what has become a controversial overseas mission.
Harper also took note of what he said was a "great year for Canada" and listed several important milestones in the year to come:
- The 150th anniversary of the creation of British Columbia.
- The 250th anniversary of parliamentary democracy being established in Nova Scotia, in the first elected assembly in Canada.
- The 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City by Samuel de Champlain, the very first governor in what is now Canada.
Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
More Canada Headlines »
- Oilsands producers get failing grade on environment
- A new report card has given a failing grade to nine of 10 Alberta oilsands producers on their environmental performance.
- Quebec towns start evacuation as flood waters rise
- About 70 homes in the greater Quebec City region were evacuated Wednesday after flood waters from the Montmorency River spread into a nearby town.
- Strong winds lash southern Ontario
- Strong winds roared through southern Ontario on Wednesday, downing power lines, damaging homes, delaying flights and flipping over a tractor-trailer and two planes.
- Gusts blow power out for thousands in Quebec
- More than 100,000 Hydro-Québec clients were plunged into darkness Wednesday after strong winds knocked out electrical lines in several regions.
- Regions hit by natural disasters will get assistance funds faster: Day
- The federal government will speed up financial assistance to regions hit by natural disasters, a process that provinces say can take years to complete, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced on Wednesday.
Canada Features
Blog Watch
Most Blogged about CBC.ca Articles