Mr. Speaker, this week marked the 70th anniversary of the death of Canada's most decorated war hero, Lieutenant-Colonel William Barker, VC. Lieutenant-Colonel William Barker, VC soared through the sky during the first world war, shooting down 50 enemy aircraft in his famous Sopwith Camel biplane.
Born in 1894 in Dauphin, Manitoba, Barker joined the Canadian Mounted Rifles in 1914. He spent a year in the trenches before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps where his efforts went on to win him the Victoria Cross.
He died test flying an airplane near the Ottawa Rockcliffe airport in 1930. His funeral was the largest ever in Toronto's history with more than 50,000 spectators and a cortège of more than 2,000 soldiers in uniform.
On June 1 the heritage minister will unveil a commemorative plaque in his honour in Dauphin, Manitoba. The Snowbirds, another Canadian icon, will take to the skies to celebrate this special occasion. I invite all members to attend this historic event.