Rideau Hall, Thursday, October 25, 2007

Freedom is never handed to us. It is something we must continually fight for.

In the name of freedom you made a total commitment with honour, conviction and loyalty.

You left everything behind: your loved ones, your families, your friends, your country.

You gave up several years of your youth.

You faced your fears, pushed yourselves to the limit, and overcame any obstacles in your way.

You took actions that history has deemed heroic, and you took them with great strength and admirable courage.

In the name of freedom, you agreed to make certain sacrifices, including the greatest one of all: to risk your lives to save others.

It breaks my heart to think of all those young people who left in the prime of their lives but never came back from the front. Some of you may even have lost a comrade, a friend or a loved one.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think of our soldiers currently stationed overseas and the dangers they are facing to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world.

I am well aware of the price that you, our Canadian veterans—as well as the soldiers who are following in your footsteps—have paid and are continuing to pay so that others can be free, and so that the forces of creation can triumph over the forces of destruction.

You paid that price and made all those sacrifices with extraordinary generosity and a valour that is beyond comprehension.

Wearing a poppy on our lapel is our way of telling you that, despite the years that have passed, we will never forget what you have done for us.

It is our way of promising that we will always remember how important it is to fight for freedom, as you did.

Just like us, poppies cannot blossom or grow in an environment where they are not free to be what they were meant to be.

Thank you for everything you have done to ensure that we never lose the freedom that we are so lucky to have in this country.

May the poppies we wear over our hearts be a symbol of our affection, pride and gratitude.