Mr. Speaker, on November 6, 1997 a resident of my riding, Margaret McKenna, will make a trip to Belgium for what is truly a sober reminder of the sacrifice made for us during World War II.
Margaret McKenna's eldest brother, Jack Summerhayes, was a gunner on a 426 squadron Halifax bomber, which was shot down on the night of May 12, 1944 over Belgium.
Thanks in part to the efforts of the Canadian and Belgian governments and the Belgium Aviation History Association, on September 6 of this year Pilot Officer Jack Summerhayes was found in a Belgian swamp still at his post. Jack Summerhayes and two other crew members also trapped in the bomber will be buried alongside the five other other crew members who perished that night in 1944.
As we approach Remembrance Day, may the pilgrimage of Margaret McKenna and the other Canadians travelling to Belgium to bury their loved ones some 53 years after their deaths serve as a statement that we as Canadians will never forget the supreme sacrifice they made.