The Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal (CPSM; ) is a

service medal A service medal is an award to individuals who participated in designated wars, campaigns, or expeditions, or who have fulfilled specific service requirements in a creditable manner. Service medals are sometimes also campaign medals. Examples of ...

created on October 21, 1999, to recognize the contributions of all

Canadian peacekeepers Canada has served in over 50 peacekeeping missions, including every United Nations (UN) peacekeeping effort from its inception until 1989. More than 125,000 Canadians have served in international peacekeeping operations, with approximately 130 Ca ...

towards the ultimate goal of peace, after the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Department of Peacekeeping Operations The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) (French: ''Département des opérations de maintien de la paix'') is a department of the United Nations charged with the planning, preparation, management, and direction of United Nations peacekeeping, ...

was awarded that year's

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

. The inaugural presentation was made on September 6, 2000.

History

In 1988, the

was awarded to United Nations Peacekeepers, in recognition of their efforts over more than 50 years to establish and maintain peace. This act inspired the creation of the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, its purpose being to recognize all

Canadians Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

, including serving and former members of the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

, members of the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

, other police services, and Canadian

civilians A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civilian enga ...

, who contributed to peace on certain missions. Some time was involved in getting the medal to the presentation stage, but, as with the creation of any major honour or award, the approval of this award involved consultation with a large number of interested individuals. Previously, all peacekeeping service was recognized by the Peace-Paix clasp to the Special Service Medal. Effective 21 June, 2001, all peacekeeping service is recognized by the Canadian Peacekeeping Medal, and recipients of the former award may, at their discretion, exchange it for the Peacekeeping Medal.

Design

The

Canadian peacekeeping Canada has served in over 50 peacekeeping missions, including every United Nations (UN) peacekeeping effort from its inception until 1989. More than 125,000 Canadians have served in international peacekeeping operations, with approximately 130 Ca ...

Service Medal was designed by Bruce W. Beatty and is in the form of a diameter

disc Disc or disk may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a two dimensional shape, the interior of a circle * Disk storage * Optical disc * Floppy disk Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other ...

with, on the obverse, the words ''PEACEKEEPING • SERVICE DE LA PAIX'', separated by maple leaves, surrounding a rendition of the three Canadian Peacekeeper figures that top the

Peacekeeping Monument ''Reconciliation: The Peacekeeping Monument'' is a monument in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, commemorating Canadian peacekeeping, Canada's role in international peacekeeping and the soldiers who have participated and are currently participating, ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

; one is an unarmed

Military Observer, holding

binoculars Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held ...

, the second, a woman, shoulders a

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

, while the third stands guard with a

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

, and above them is a

dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

, the international symbol of peace. The medal's reverse shows the word ''CANADA'' below a maple leaf surrounded by a laurel wreath and bearing the

Royal Cypher In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram or monogram-like device of a country's reigning Monarch, sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a Crown (heral ...

of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, symbolizing her roles as both

fount of honour The fount of honour () is a person, who, by virtue of their official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Ages, European knights ...

and Commander-in-Chief of her various forces. A single-toe claw attaches the top of the medal to the centre of a slotted bar on which is another maple leaf. This medallion is worn at the left chest, suspended on a 31.8mm wide ribbon coloured with vertical stripes in the shade of blue used by the United Nations, green (representing service), and Canada's official colours: red (also indicative of blood shed in the service of peace), and white (also the colour of peace).

Eligibility

The Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal recognizes Canadian Peacekeepers deployed outside Canada for a minimum of 30 days, which includes members of the

, other police officers, and civilians who served with the forces on peacekeeping missions. As of September 2003, some 68,000 Peacekeeping Service Medals had been awarded.

References

External links

Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal Act
{{CanadaPeacekeeping Civil awards and decorations of Canada Canadian campaign medals Peacekeeping Awards established in 2000 2000 establishments in Canada

History

Design

Eligibility

See also

References

External links