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<title>GOVERNMENT OF CANADA UNDERSCORES ITS COMMITMENT TO PEARSON PEACEKEEPING CENTRE IN CORNWALLIS, NOVA SCOTIA</title>
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<p><font size="+1"></font><font size="+1"><strong>December 11, 2003 <em>(5:45 p.m. EST)</em> No. 192</strong></font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font size="+1"><strong>GOVERNMENT OF CANADA UNDERSCORES ITS COMMITMENT TO PEARSON
PEACEKEEPING CENTRE IN CORNWALLIS, NOVA SCOTIA</strong></font></p>
<p>Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Graham and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Robert Thibault met today to discuss the
Pearson Peacekeeping Centre and the current crisis in the Board of Directors. The ministers agreed that the Centre is an
important training and research institution that has earned itself an excellent international reputation.</p>
<p>"The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre is a valued partner for the Government of Canada. It provides targeted training for
military and civilian personnel involved in peace support operations, and helps build the capacity of new peacekeeping
centres in Africa and elsewhere," said Minister Graham. "The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is a
strong proponent of the Pearson Centre and has worked to ensure that overall government funding for the Centre will
remain at the current annual level of $5 million in 2004/05."</p>
<p>"The Government of Canada has provided some $45 million to the Centre since its launch in 1994," said Minister Thibault.
"This has been an important contribution to the transformation of the Cornwallis site and to economic development in the
region. The Centre has adopted a strategy to be more responsive to the needs of its clients, to diversify its client base and to
put itself on a sound financial footing. I fully support the Centre in these efforts and encourage it to work with the
Annapolis Basin Conference Centre to find a way forward." </p>
<p>Commenting on the outcome of the ministers' meeting, International Cooperation Minister Susan Whelan said, "There is
tremendous potential for the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre to work with government clients and others on the new
challenges in peace support operations today, particularly in the training of civilian experts essential to the restoration of the
rule of law and basic government services in post-conflict situations. The Centre has been working to better position itself
to serve these needs."</p>
<p>Minister of National Defence John McCallum underscored that "the Department of National Defence supports the Pearson
Peacekeeping Centre. It is an important training and research centre for the Department and is one of the very few
international grade institutions that jointly trains civilians and military personnel. Last year, through its Military Training
Assistance Program, the Department sent 300 people to receive training with the Centre." </p>
<p>The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre was established in 1994 by the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies with financial
support from the Government of Canada. The Centre was launched at the site of the former Canadian Forces base
Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. Always a private and independent entity, the Centre was incorporated in 2001. As such, the
Centre and its Board must make management decisions on the basis of a sound business case. In recent years, the
government has provided $5 million in funding annually. This figure includes $1.5 million from the Department of
National Defence's Military Training Assistance Program to deliver peace support training to foreign military officers. In
addition, National Defence provides six personnel to the Centre. The Centre is also delivering peace training programs in
West Africa on behalf of CIDA, valued at approximately $9 million over 5 years (from 2001/02 to 2006/07).</p>
<p align="CENTER">- 30 -</p>
<p>For further information, media representatives may contact:</p>
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<p>Isabelle Savard</p>
<p>Director of Communications </p>
<p>Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs </p>
<p>(613) 995-1851 </p>
<p>Media Relations Office</p>
<p>Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade</p>
<p>(613) 995-1874</p>
<p>Caroline Quinn</p>
<p>Director of Communications</p>
<p>Office of the Minister of Fisheries and
Oceans</p>
<p>(613) 992-3474</p>
<p>Marta Anderson</p>
<p>Director of Communications</p>
<p>Office of the Minister for International
Cooperation</p>
<p>(819) 953-6238</p>
<p>Media Relations Office</p>
<p>Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA)</p>
<p>(819) 953-6534</p>
<p><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071123034657/mailto:info@acdi-cida.gc.ca">info@acdi-cida.gc.ca</a></p>
<p>Randy Mylyk</p>
<p>Director of Communications</p>
<p>Office of the Minister of National Defence</p>
<p>(613) 996-3100</p>
<p>Media Liaison Office</p>
<p>Department of National Defence</p>
<p>(613) 996-2353 or 996-2354</p>
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<p>This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Internet site:
<a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20071123034657/http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/">http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</a></p>
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