Mr. Speaker, the highest military award for bravery in the Commonwealth is the Victoria Cross and on it are inscribed two simple words, “For Valour”. Since the theme of Veterans Week this year is “A Century of Valour”, it is appropriate to acknowledge that on a per capita basis Canadians have won more VCs than any other Commonwealth nation.
The first was awarded to Alexander Dunn for heroism in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Our 95th and last Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously to Robert Hampton Gray for a successful attack on a Japanese warship an hour before the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, which brought World War II to an end.
In war and in peace Canadians have answered the call to duty. The fact that so many VCs were awarded to our citizens is symbolic of the bravery of all those who represented our country under the most difficult of circumstances.