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Canadian Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, commander of the NATO military operations in Libya, listens to a reporter's question during a media briefing at the NATO's Southern Europe headquarters in Naples March 28, 2011.REUTERS/STRINGER/ITALY

Canadian troops who served on the Libya mission will be recognized for their efforts to protect that country's citizens from dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay will take part in a celebration on Parliament Hill next week.

Lt.-Gen. Charles Bouchard, the Canadian who commanded NATO operations in Libya, will be honoured for his leadership.

Canadian pilots and aircrew helped enforce a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya, flying more than 1,500 military missions.

The Canadian navy was also dispatched to the region after the UN security council passed a resolution that called on the international community to protect civilians in Libya following an uprising against the dictatorship of Gadhafi.

But military personnel who served in the decade-long mission in Afghanistan will have to wait for their parade — Mr. MacKay says their celebration will only come in 2014, after the NATO-led training mission ends.

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