The Canadian Reserve is a component of the Canadian military, which is not engaged in full time permanent military activity. Its members are citizen-soldiers who give weekends or summers to the military when they are not in school or working. Reservists comprise an important part of the Canadian military by assisting to provide for Canada’s security in a time of crisis. Canadian reservists represented approximately 20% of the Canadian force in Afghanistan.
Canada’s success in Afghanistan would not have been possible without the participation of the Reserve Forces as an operational force. Many reservists elected to join the regular forces in Afghanistan and played an important role in topping up our regular force strength. Many others were instrumental in helping the Canadian Forces maintain its inflated operating capacity by moving from Class A part time reservists to Class B reservists filling temporary contract positions while the personnel who previously held those positions joined the regular forces. These soldiers had to take time off from their jobs and their families, some without any guarantee that a job would be waiting for them upon their return, in order to ensure the success of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan.
Therefore the NATO Council of Canada invites you to our Gala – Heroes in Our Midst on May 29th in honour of the Canadian Forces Reserves and Canada’s distinguished government officials. Our gala, hosted by the Honourable Senator Hugh Segal, Chair of the NATO Council of Canada, will recognize the Honourable Bill Graham, former Chair of the NATO Council of Canada, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Minister of National Defence for his unwavering contribution to international peace and prosperity. The NATO Council of Canada will also recognize the members of the Canadian Forces Reserves and celebrate the significant voluntary contributions they have made in support of international peace and prosperity. The Gala will feature senior military officials of the Canadian Forces, veterans, senior Foreign Service officers, foreign diplomats, and other high profile dignitaries. We look forward to seeing you at this momentous celebration.
