Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. I value your work as well.
I'm Dr. Steve Harris, the chief historian and the acting director at the directorate of history and heritage within National Defence, where I have worked for 42 years. I represent the directorate of history and heritage, which is uniquely placed within National Defence to maintain and preserve military history and heritage, as well as to support the Minister of Veterans Affairs in their commemorative activities.
I am also the co-chair of the Minister of Veterans Affairs commemoration advisory group, a position I have held for five years. As such, I come to this discussion of commemoration in the 21st century with a historical lens and a great deal of institutional knowledge on the subject.
While the Department of Veterans Affairs has the mandate to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Canadian sailors, soldiers and aviators in past wars and conflicts, the role of the Department of National Defence is to support VAC's planning and the execution of its commemorative activities, including a long-term strategy for commemoration.
National Defence and the director of history continue to support VAC in its commemoration of those brave Canadians who have served Canada in armed conflict, with particular focus in the past few years on the First World War and Second World War.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to answering your questions.