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Defence and Foreign Affairs
Quick Facts: War on Terrorism Contributions since 9/11
- Since 2001, Canada has deployed more than 25,000 Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel in the international campaign against terrorism.
- Canada was the first US ally to deploy to the Northern Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf after 9/11.
- Canada has been engaged in Afghanistan since early 2002. More than 25,000 Canadian personnel have deployed to Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf since October 2001.
- The United States Government has awarded 30 US Bronze Stars to Canadian service personnel in the War on Terror.
Canada is currently involved in 17 overseas military missions, including Afghanistan, Sudan, and Haiti. Canadian ship-borne helicopters, patrol, and transport aircraft have flown more than 5,500 sorties and at least 22,500 hours of mission flights.
Afghanistan
- Canada is one of the leading members of the 37-nation NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan.
- Currently over 2,500 Canadian Forces troops are performing stability and security operations in southern Afghanistan, mostly in Kandahar province. This former Taliban stronghold is one of the most dangerous regions of the country.
- Canada is among the top donor countries helping the Afghan people to build a free, democratic and peaceful country by providing aid, police, security, justice, human rights and personnel; Afghanistan receives more Canadian development aid than any other country. (Haiti is second.)
- Since 2001, over 25,000 CF personnel have been deployed to Afghanistan as part of the UN-supported ISAF and OEF missions.
- More than 20 Canadian Warships have been deployed (19 to the Persian Gulf).
- Canada operates an airbase in the Persian Gulf and has flown 5,000 tactical airlift, patrol and (ship-based) helicopter sorties.
- General Rick Hillier, Canada's former Chief of the Defence Staff, commanded NATO's 6,500 International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in Kabul in 2004.
Resources for further information:
Sudan
Canada is helping the people of Sudan achieve progress towards long-term peace and human rights by addressing their early recovery and humanitarian assistance needs. Since January 2006, Canada has provided over $388 million in voluntary contributions for peace efforts, humanitarian assistance, and early recovery in Sudan.
Some examples of results achieved to date in Sudan, to which CIDA funding has contributed, include:
Humanitarian Aid:
- Provision of food to an estimated 5.7 million people in Sudan through Canadian funding support to the World Food Programme.
- Delivery of more than 20,000 messages to restore links between family members separated as a result of the conflict, through Canadian funding support to the Red Cross.
- Provision of essential household items such as soap to more than 250,000 people.
Early Recovery: Improved health care
- Vaccination of more than 1.2 million children against measles and 2.4 million children against polio.
- Access to clean water for 570,000 people through the construction of more than 2,560 new bore holes and the rehabilitation of 75 large water-supply systems.
- Support for 30 hospitals, 92 primary health care centres, and 563 health care units in southern Sudan by strengthening the capacity of the Government of Southern Sudan.
Improved access to education
- Distribution of 4.6 million textbooks and 2 million school kits for primary school students in grades 1 to 4.
- Recruitment of 14,000 primary and secondary school teachers.
- Improved access to primary education and learning opportunities for 50,000 adults, including demobilized soldiers.
Safer environments
- Creation of child-friendly spaces in camps for internally displaced persons in Darfur, and enhanced safety measures in schools for the improved protection of 21,000 Sudanese children and community members in Darfur.
- Clearing over 1,800 km of roads and, through mine action programs, assessing and verifying the safety of an additional 18,500 km of roads.
- Destruction of more than 4,700 anti-personnel mines and 2,100 anti-tank mines, through Canada’s contributions to mine action programs run by the United Nations.