I had the opportunity to go to the Netherlands with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Veterans Affairs. I had gone last year with the then minister of veterans affairs to walk the Remembrance Trails.
I did not grow up in a military environment of any sort. I don't know if I've said this before, but to see even now some of the green trucks leave our armoury and drive down the street in Guelph, it's a phenomenon in Guelph. I mean everybody stops and marvels at their presence. That's about the closest we got despite the fact that John McCrae was born and raised in Guelph. While we celebrate that, the reality of the work and sacrifice of our forces is not brought home enough to those that live in our community.
I have to tell you what a remarkable experience it has been for me not just to be on this committee, but to have had the opportunity to go to the Netherlands and march with so many people. I remember one evening particularly we were in Groesbeek. We met at the city hall. We had no idea what was to follow, other than we were going to march. Erin and I, and all the other members of our delegation, assembled at the front of this line and we started to march about three kilometres to the Groesbeek cemetery. We marched through the small, narrow streets of the village and then out into the countryside.
We got to the cemetery and I could not resist turning around to see how long the line was. I could not see the end of the line. There were more than 3,000 people, Dutch and Canadians alike, who had joined into this march. Not a word was spoken. We were instructed not to speak. I have to tell you it was one of the most overwhelming experiences I have ever had, to see the commemoration, the respect, the love, and the gratitude the people in the Netherlands have for the Canadian effort.
I'll end with this. What really hit home was that we live in Canada where in our lifetime, and for many preceding generations, we've never felt the real threat, not the real threat, of losing our freedom, because we're on the other side of the pond. The Netherlands was a country that was occupied. They lost their freedom and had to fight to get it back. It suddenly struck me that it's a whole different experience when you have suffered what they've suffered for as long as they suffered, and had to fight to regain their freedom, and had others from around the world come to their aid to do it. Wow. It was an overwhelming experience.
I want to thank everyone for the opportunity I was given to go over and experience that. Thank you.