For Canada, peacekeeping is an important part of our national heritage and beliefs. Canada has fifty years of experience and a good reputation in peacekeeping. Peacekeeping is an important part of Canada's foreign policy. Canada has participated in most of peacekeeping missions mandated by the United Nations Security Council. In the past, peacekeeping has been a military activity but Canadian participation in international peacekeeping now includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Elections Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.

Peacekeeping traditionally meant keeping the peace. Today, UN peacekeepers are involved in such diverse activities as distributing humanitarian aid, helping civilians (Bosnia), or breaking up factions (Somalia).

The United Nations first used the term "peacekeeping" in 1956. When a conflict began in the Middle East, between Egypt and Israel, Lester B. Pearson, who was the Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs and later became Prime Minister of Canada, proposed to organise an international force under the UN flag.

For this achievement, Mr. Pearson was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize. Since that time there have been over 50 United Nations peacekeeping missions. Each time the challenge has been different, and as a result of these different experiences, the concept of peacekeeping has grown.