moved for leave to introduce Bill C-428, An Act to protect and maintain orders, decorations and medals for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce my private member's bill that is intended to ensure that the Government of Canada has the right of first refusal to purchase, at fair market value, significant military medals or medal sets awarded to Canadians and thereby preserve them for generations to come.
We can no longer rely on the benevolence of men like Arthur Lee who bought Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae's medals and then donated them to the McCrae Museum or the fundraising abilities of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion that saved the Topham Victoria Cross from the auction block.
We must, as a nation, step up to the plate and buy these pieces of history, install them in museums and give future generations the opportunity to see them and reflect on the courage and valour of the recipients.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)