Important question, any help would be appreciated.

[Grungo]

Hello guys, first off let me say thank you for serving our Country and trying your hardest to make this world a better place.

I am a 17 year old male from Edmonton, Alberta, and am seriously considering joining the Canadian Forces next November after working and enjoying life a bit more. However, I have some problems with the idea of being sent off to Afghanistan. To be honest, I think the Canadian Government is not doing nearly enough to protect you guys over there, even though you would do anything to protect us and (maybe) them.

I want to serve my country, help people, and be able to say I made a difference, no matter how small, but I would prefer to focus more on humanitarian aid and helping/defending the sick and injured. My question is: are there any other wartorn countries/countries in need that you can choose to go to besides Afghanistan upon joining the Canadian Forces? It seems the situation in the Congo is getting worse and worse, so that could be a possibility, but are there any current peacekeeping missions going on elsewhere?

Thanks in advance, and God bless you all.

 

[Good2Golf]

Grungo, thank you for your support.  The fact is that a soldier, sailor or aviator goes where the CF deploys them, to a location chosen/directed by the Government of Canada.  This is the reality of a volunteer service military.  If there is something about the current or potential future areas of operation of the CF, then a career in the military may not be for you. 

There are a number of other Governmental organizations that work in areas distributed around the world; both CIDA and FAC come to mind.

Cheers
G2G

 

[Smirnoff123]

I believe the UN is in Africa right now.

 

[jp86]

If you join the reserves, you are only sent on missions abroad if you volunteer for them.*  So that gives you a little more control.

*Barring national emergency and a call-up of the reserves, of course, though that hasn't happened since WWII.

 

[aesop081]

If you join the reserves, you are only sent on missions abroad if you volunteer for them.*  So that gives you a little more control.

And only those missions where the GoC has decided to commit troops. You cant volunteer for a mission that doesnt exist.