I always find November, and Remembrance Day, to be a great time for reflection. It’s a time to reflect on where we come from, how we have grown as a nation, and where we are going, just as we do, as individuals, when a new year begins.
This year, there is even more to think about, after the cowardly terrorist attacks in Ottawa stopped us all in our tracks. Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot in front of our National War Memorial, and our Parliament Building was attacked on a day that shocked the country. Just days earlier, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was targeted and murdered in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu. I found myself wondering what the brave veterans of the First and Second World Wars would have thought about the events in October, 2014.
For almost 150 years, our Canadian military has always fought to defend the noble values Canada was founded on: championing freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Our Canadian military has a proud history of overcoming the forces that would threaten these values. They have acted with courage and conviction, and earned a reputation around the world that makes our hearts swell with pride when we hear of it. I think of the tulips sent every year from the Netherlands to honour the actions of Canadian soldiers during WW2. I reflect on the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, where over 3,500 Canadian soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice and Canada gained new recognition on the international stage.
These events, along with countless others, remind us of the debt of gratitude we owe to the people who have stood, fought and even died so that we – and our children – can enjoy unsurpassed rights and freedoms every day.
These events also remind us that we must preserve, protect, and celebrate the traditions and values of this country, and not apologize for them. We have to champion our hard-fought values, grow together and find the right way forward.
We must focus on our blessings and our gifts and use them for the greater good. May we all remember, this week in particular, and every day of the year.
On November 11th, I hope I will see you at a Remembrance Day event so that together we can pay our respects to those who served, to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and to those who are currently serving. If you aren’t able to attend a ceremony, please make sure to pause wherever you are.
Let us never forget the sacrifices of these men and women in uniform, who lived lives devoted to safeguarding the values upon which our country was built.
And may we keep them close in our thoughts and prayers as we solemnly remember.
Lest we forget.
