November 11th is the day we set aside to remember and give thanks to generations of Canada’s sons and daughters who have answered the call of duty and served our country. As a Member of Parliament, the honour of participating in Remembrance Day ceremonies around Vegreville-Wainwright and in various spots around the world has been one of the things I will remember most in future. Everyone who is able to share in a ceremony, or marks the day with a moment of silent thanks, will understand the feeling of debt, gratitude and awe which inevitably takes over when we take the time to think of what our veterans willingly did for us.

From World War I, when Canada first proved our strength and determination as a young nation, to our work in Kandahar and around the globe today, the constant has always been the courage and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform.
We’ve marked some big milestones this year, including the 70th anniversary of the day Canada entered the Second World War. Our second big test as a nation and once again, just as they had in World War One, thousands of our young men and women did not hesitate to risk their lives defending our Canadian values of freedom and democracy.
And, it seems like yesterday, but it was eight years and three weeks ago when I stood in the House of Commons and prayed for the safety and success of another generation of Canadian troops as they left to fight in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan.

Knowing the heartbreak we experience when we hear of another life sacrificed in the battle against terrorism, I can only imagine what is must have been like across the country when Canada lost thousands in one battle, in wars that tore young lives from every community.

Through two world wars and Korea we lost so many young people. Sons, husbands, fathers….. We continue to lose good people today. We must remember them all. We must honour that overwhelming and admirable sense of duty to defend freedom and democracy that is still present today in our military personnel and their families. I think that is a large part of Remembrance Day – a chance to reaffirm our pledge to do our duty to maintain those ideals above all else. It’s not hard, it’s not dangerous, but it is extremely important.

Each Canadian standing in the cold November morning will have personal memories — some shared, some private — of those who we pause to remember.
The grandparents and great-grandparents who crossed oceans to fight on the front lines of Europe to break the grip of tyranny. The sons and daughters who stood between an unsteady peace and the renewed spark of conflict. The husbands, wives, brothers and sisters who work each day to bring peace and stability to war-torn Afghanistan.  Those here at home who make their own sacrifice as they support family members deployed across the country and around the world.

On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Canadian government, please join me in honouring those who willingly fought for the rights Canadians enjoy today, thanking  those who are still with us, and offering our prayers of gratitude to those whom we didn’t have the opportunity to thank.

Lest we forget.

Leon Benoit, MP