Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to once again officially commemorate the valiant sacrifices made by veterans of our navy, army, air force and peacekeepers, we pause to pay special tribute to Canadian merchant mariners, the fourth arm of Canada's services.
Their vital role in carrying supplies to our troops in battle was fundamental to allied victory.
Terrible risks were a fact of life. They faced brutal U-boat attacks, surface raiders and marauding aircraft, all attempting to interrupt this lifeline to our troops.
Merchant mariners faced severe conditions on board, shipwreck in a cruel, cold sea often covered in blazing fuel and a prisoner of war camp if they were able to reach land. Sixty-seven ships were lost and on average when a ship went down less than half the crew survived.
Four hundred died during the great war and of the 12,000 merchant mariners who risked their lives to preserve cherished freedoms in the second world war, over 1,400 died.
Despite atrocious conditions, they did not shirk their duty. Thus, it is our duty to remember the contributions and sacrifices they made; a debt too great to ever be forgotten.