On November 11, we will gather to honour those who sacrificed themselves to safeguard our freedoms and our rights. The years have passed since Canada was involved in a major war but there are still those who have served far from home, and to them, we give our thanks.
I remember a veteran speaking to a school some years ago. As a survivor of the Second World War, he committed, over the course of his remaining years, to keep faith with those who did not return. He did this by keeping the memory of those who gave up their lives and by making sure future generations understand that their freedom and their prosperity was earned through the lives of the people he knew as friends and comrades.
The continuing large turnouts to Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country speaks to the fact that Canadians remember and honour our veterans and their families. Let it not be just on Remembrance Day, but throughout the year, both in our words and in our actions.
Norm Macdonald is the MLA for Columbia River–Revelstoke.
