Mission Information Line Counsellor Nathalie Connolly- the voice of reassurance for families of deployed military members.

Deployment support is made up of a number of amenities designed to bring a little piece of Canada to Canadian Forces (CF) members serving at remote or foreign missions around the world. We know these services help keep morale high among the troops, during those long periods of time away from home and family. And we all know how good morale plays an important role in operational effectiveness.

So what types of things does Deployment Support provide to the CF?

• News and media services - newspapers, magazines, books, electronic news
• Show tours - Canadian entertainers travel to various locations to bring song, dance and comedy routines
• Satellite radio and television - Canadian programming live on a 24/7 basis with emphasis on local news, sports, and entertainment
• Rest and recreation funding support
• Operation Santa Claus

What could be better, when you're far away from home during the Christmas season, than to receive a box of gifts along with a heartwarming card made by local school children? This is Operation Santa Claus. Each year more than 3,000 boxes are distributed throughout the world to wherever CF members are located. This program is provided with help from several generous corporate donors.

Rather than just reading about the latest hockey scores on-line or in a hometown newspaper (which we supply to troops), how about watching the game live via satellite from Canada? Canadian Forces Radio and Television provides live tv and radio news from Canada to missions in Bosnia and Africa for the latest connection to home news and events.

Mission Information Line

For families of deployed members, Mission Information Line provides bilingual, 24-hour toll-free access to recorded messages from various Canadian-serving missions around the world. These messages are updated frequently, and give the caller details about what's happening at the mission on a day-to-day basis. It's a reassuring service designed to keep families up-to-date on life overseas. During business hours, callers can speak directly to Mission Information Line staff for additional information or for referral to other sources.

For families, peace of mind is only a phone call away at 1-800-866-4546.