Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I think this is a government intrusion into the lives of veterans of the Canadian Forces, soldiers who have demonstrated their courage and supported this country before receiving a medal. Now we're trying to tell them what they must do with their medal. The Canadian Legion and all the other legions and veterans' associations have told us that this law should not be enacted. We have no respect for these people, we aren't listening to them. First, we ask them what they have to say about this. We are talking about them, we are telling them we are going to make a decision for them about their medals. We hear witnesses who tell us to abandon this bill, but then we don't even listen to them.
Is that the respect we have for our veterans? Is that the respect we want to show these people? We want to tell them that we have no respect for veterans, but we do have respect for their medals. The medals are important. The people who earned those medals in combat, on a battlefield, them we don't respect. We don't respect their decision to do what they want with their medals. I think this is a lack of respect for veterans, in the aim of keeping the medals here, in Canada.
Think about this twice: you are disregarding all the veterans who earned these medals, veterans from the maritime and air forces as well as the land forces, and all those who came to testify that they disagree with this. You are going to disregard their opinion and say that the medals are more important than the people who earned them, who defended their country. Some of them lost life or limb in doing that.
If that is how you see it, fine, there's no problem, but on this side, we disagree with it. I think the important thing is the human being.