Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent his best wishes to citizens of the "greatest country in the world," pointing to the Afghan mission as an example of Canadians' spirit of generosity.

In a recorded Christmas message posted on the website of the Prime Minister's Office, Harper used the holiday season to reflect on the joy of giving, both to loved ones and those less fortunate.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, pose on their front step in Ottawa on Dec. 18. In a recorded Christmas message posted on the internet, Harper used the holiday season to reflect on the joy of giving.Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, pose on their front step in Ottawa on Dec. 18. In a recorded Christmas message posted on the internet, Harper used the holiday season to reflect on the joy of giving.
(Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)

"That spirit of generosity is one of the things that defines us as Canadians and its purest expression today is the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, where our soldiers, diplomats and aid workers are, at great cost to themselves, helping the Afghan people rebuild their shattered country."

About 2,500 Canadian troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier arrived at the airfield in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday and spent Christmas Day serving dinner to about 900 members of the force in a show of support for what has become a controversial overseas mission.

Harper also took note of what he said was a "great year for Canada" and listed several important milestones in the year to come:

  • The 150th anniversary of the creation of British Columbia.
  • The 250th anniversary of parliamentary democracy being established in Nova Scotia, in the first elected assembly in Canada.
  • The 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City by Samuel de Champlain, the very first governor in what is now Canada.