During the month of November, Canadians come together to honour those who have sacrificed to make our world a safer place. I encourage everyone to visit veterans.gc.ca/iremember where you can learn more about the contributions to our nation by Canada’s military veterans. Our Government encourages Canadians to honour our brave men and women by attending a Remembrance Day ceremony, visiting a local cenotaph or monument, thanking Veterans, wearing a poppy, and sharing a story about a loved one who has served.
As your Member of Parliament, I find it remarkable that so many of us in Crowfoot take the time and make the effort to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies. In the past, I have laid the Government of Canada Wreath at many small and large ceremonies in our Crowfoot Riding and I am always impressed by the strong showing of support for Canada’s military veterans.
The World Wars Commemoration period (2014-2020) marks the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the 75th anniversary of the Second World War. As a nation, we have a duty to remember the more than 650,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served in the First World War and the more than one million Canadian and Newfoundland men and women who served in the Second World War.
Many of you, particularly families with past or current members of the Canadian Armed Forces will know that as part of Canada’s World Wars Commemoration period, all living Canadian Veterans of the Second World War are eligible to receive a limited-edition commemorative lapel pin and a certificate of recognition. This tribute includes living Canadians who served with Canadian forces or with any other Allied force (including the Canadian or British Merchant Navy), either at home or abroad, during the Second World War. Please contact my office for more details or assistance.
This year, our thoughts and prayers will include the family and friends of Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was murdered as he provided a ceremonial Honour Guard at Canada’s National War Memorial. We also remember and pray for the family and friends of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent who was killed in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu by an ISIL-inspired terrorist. These events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world. We are also reminded that attacks on our security personnel and our institutions of governance are, by their very nature, attacks on our country, on our values, on our society, on us, Canadians, as a free and democratic people who embrace human dignity for all.
I hope that everyone can attend your local Remembrance Day service this year. The cenotaphs throughout our region of Crowfoot and in communities across Canada are sacred places that pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that we can live in a free, democratic and safe society.
