In a few days we will time out to acknowledge Remembrance Day, as we have done each year for almost a century. Over the past decade, the day and ceremony has taken on new and more significant meaning in many of our lives.
From peacekeepers in the 1960s to 1980s, Canadian soldiers have become combat troops, sailors have intercepted pirate boats and the air force today conducts sorties in the Persian Gulf. Conflict in our lifetime has transformed from major armies in battle to insurgents and armed bands, often with regressive political agendas.
On Remembrance Day we remember Canadians who lost lives or futures by standing up to protect our freedoms and way of life. In the First World War, when Canada had 10 million people, we sent 600,000 soldiers and sailors into battle. The carnage was horrific - one in 10 killed, and in some situations, such as the South Saskatchewan Regiment, a casualty rate of 95 per cent.
Since then we have added later conflicts to what we remember: the Second World War, Korean Conflict, UN duties in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, and Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
The murders of W/O Vincent in Quebec and Cpl. Cirillo in Ottawa in the past few weeks have brought back vivid memories and concerns that peace is a fragile concept, never to be taken for granted, and always to be protected.
New to us is that the danger lurks within our midst. We now enter a period of debate about how to protect our freedoms without compromising them.
In England today there is a beautiful testimony to the remembrance of the past. England, which was a warrior nation for many centuries, is now recognized as a model of peace and democracy.
It has created a monument of 888,246 ceramic poppies - one for every fallen Commonwealth soldier in the First World War, and placed them in the moat around the Tower of London, long a symbol of both oppression and of security. Sixty thousand of those poppies mark Canadian lives given for freedom in the "great war." Take a look as many millions in London have done already (http://poppies.hrp.org.uk/) As one who has served in the armed forces, albeit in peacetime, I cannot help but be moved by the public demonstrations taking place today.
In a subtle Canadian way, we really do treasure freedom, and when threatened, we can and do respond. Let's remember to keep cool heads in the weeks ahead as the debate over our domestic security continues.
Take time out - Lest We Forget.
