Rideau Hall, Thursday, November 11, 2010

It is truly an honour for my wife, Sharon, and me to share this solemn day with you.

Remembrance Day makes us look back into Canada’s past. To pause to remember all of those who willingly gave their lives so we could be free.

Naming the Silver Cross Mother is an especially poignant act of remembrance. A mother’s loss of a son or daughter in war symbolizes the sacrifice that our military families continue to make on our behalf.

This year’s Silver Cross Mother, Mrs. Mabel Margaret Girouard, is no exception.

As a father of five and grandfather of seven, I can only imagine the fear you and your family must have felt as your son, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Michael Girouard, deployed on his mission to Afghanistan.

A poem written by Herman W. Murray, while he fought with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Italy in World War II, captures your situation well:

“I left her standing by the train,
Through tears of grief and pain,
My Khaki collar showed the trace,
Of tears from that beloved face ...

Dear mother yours is the hardest fight,
For yours is the misery of a sleepless night.
The dragging days in the house alone,
Watching for mail and the silent phone ...”

Murray’s poem concludes with that mother welcoming her son home. You, however, were not given that chance.

I cannot begin to understand the crushing grief you and your family must have felt when you learned that your son died along an Afghani road in November 2006.

Remembrance Day also makes us look ahead—to a future when men, women and children around the world might one day enjoy the peace we so often take for granted in Canada.

In looking ahead, I am filled with thankfulness for the unwavering commitment the members of our Canadian Forces continue to show to make our world a better place for all.

I am filled with respect by the way they selflessly risk their lives to make our country, and our world, more secure.

And I am filled with compassion for their families—who serve our country with grace and dignity by supporting their loved ones as they deploy on our behalf.

Mrs. Girouard, I know that becoming the Silver Cross Mother is not something you would have chosen. I know that you would have rather welcomed Robert home with open arms.

Nevertheless, by accepting this position, I also sense your genuine pride because of what he has done.

He sacrificed much.

And his great sacrifice has touched the lives of so many. Alongside his brothers- and sisters-in-arms, he gave the Afghani people a chance to live in safer communities. He gave their daughters a chance to go to school. And he gave them a chance to begin to understand the precious rights and freedoms we so richly enjoy.

Just last week, I was in Afghanistan to extend my support to the Canadians serving in Kandahar and the district of Panjway. I saw firsthand just how much of a difference our troops, diplomats and humanitarian workers are making in the lives and communities of the Afghan people.

Robert is part of a rich legacy that all of the members of our Canadian Forces have left around the world throughout Canada’s history—a legacy of hope and peace, freedom and prosperity, safety and stability.

For that, I am thankful, as all Canadians are thankful.

I am full of respect, as all Canadians are full of respect.

And I am proud, as all Canadians are proud.

We will not forget your son. We will not forget the many other men and women who went before him. Nor will we forget those who will go after.

We will remember them.