Is it irony that today we have our veterans, who I am going to introduce in just a minute, our merchant seamen and our artists and our writers, all in this House, the House of Canadians.
I am going to introduce the representatives of the various arms and some veterans and where they served. At the end of it, we are going to stand as a House, indeed I hope as a nation, for two minutes of silence as was asked of us by many members of this House and by our own Canadian legion.
Before I name these wonderful men and women, the veterans, the mariners and our artists, I want all of them at the end of these tributes today to join with us in Room 216 where we can meet them and spend some time with all of them together.
I draw the attention of hon. members to the presence of the following people in the gallery. When I call your names, please stand. I would ask my colleagues to withhold any applause until I have introduced everyone.
We have a veteran with us from the first world war, Paul Métivier. Paul, I hope you do not mind if I tell my colleagues that you are 99 years young. Please remain standing if you can, sir. If not, it is all right.
We also have with us Mr. Ken Cavers, a navy veteran of the second world war who served on North Atlantic convoy runs aboard corvettes, first HMCS
Hespeler and later HMCS Hawkesbury
; Mr. Ken Ewing, veteran of Hong Kong who spent almost four years as a prisoner of war; Mrs. Leena Jacques, who was a nursing sister in the second world war; Mr. Philip Jacques, who served with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders in the second world war and also served in Korea; Mr. Bert Harper, a CANLOAN officer during the second world war who served with the British forces in our name; Mr. Harold True, a veteran of the Korean war who served with the medical corps; Mr. Andrew Garlicki, a veteran of the Polish forces who served alongside the Canadians in Europe; and Lieutenant Colonel Bill Aikman who was in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.
I take the liberty of asking our merchant seamen to also stand please to receive our tributes.
These are the men and women who served us so well over this century. In the name of parliament, I thank you for what you have done for us.
Editor's Note: Members rose and applauded