Mr. Speaker, I would like to also thank and congratulate the hon. member from the Alliance Party for bringing this worthwhile motion to the floor of the House of Commons, which is exactly where this type of debate should take place.
At the outset, the New Democratic Party will be supporting this motion. We think anything that gives recognition to our valued veterans and their families is long overdue and something we should vote on fairly quickly. I am surprised that it is not votable at this time but I hope the hon. member will bring it back, that it will be made votable and that the governing party, the Liberals in this case, will get behind this initiative and support it.
I met with members of various legions throughout my riding and discussed many of today's issues dealing with veterans and their families. They of course are not just issues in terms of health care and various financial concerns veterans have, but also the symbolism of what veterans require so that they indeed will not be forgotten in years ahead.
Anyone who gets the Legion magazine on a regular basis, such as myself, and reads the section of the publication called “The Last Post” will know that we are losing our veterans and military personnel who fought in various conflicts throughout the years at a very rapid pace. In fact, every month we seem to lose more and more of our World War II and Korean vets. There is only a handful of World War I veterans left as we speak.
Prior to any more veterans being laid to rest, it is imperative that we put forward a motion and vote on it as soon as possible which would allow two minutes of silence in their honour. One can imagine being in St. John's, Newfoundland on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour and having a wave of two minutes of silence across the country all the way to Victoria and into the Yukon. That symbolism would indeed tell our past serving military personnel and their families that they would be remembered forever and that their contributions would not be forgotten in any undiluted form whatsoever.
As well, it is for our military personnel who are currently overseas or at home. When they retire, they and their families will also be remembered at the various legion and Remembrance Day ceremonies. This is not just for those who fought in the world wars. It will be for those who served in the gulf war or in Afghanistan or who will serve in many other future conflicts in which I am sure Canada will be involved. When we are willing to send our brave, young men and women overseas or wherever conflicts arise to help the peoples of those countries and to help spread democracy throughout the world, we need to do whatever we can to honour and value their sacrifices.
It is not just those who are killed in conflicts. As my colleague from the Bloc said, it is also to recognize the psychological stress that these people were under. Imagine what it is like for our people who are currently in Afghanistan. They are faced with flying shrapnel and whatever. They are not only worried not about their own personal safety but also about the safety of their families back home. Imagine what they must be thinking.
I have had the honour of representing the riding of Sackville--Musquodoboit Valley--Eastern Shore which comprises the great air base of Shearwater. Just recently I attended the homecomings of two frigates, the Halifax and the Charlottetown . To see the looks on the faces of the families of these military personnel once they were home safely put a lump in everyone's throat.
When the Halifax returned home I will never forget a little girl saying “Welcome home, daddy.” She was there with her sister. I asked her what was the first thing she would ask her Dad to do when he got off the ship. She replied “Take me bowling.” That is all this little girl could think. Her father had been away for over six months in a very dangerous situation and all this little girl thought about was having dad take her bowling. That is what our military personnel represent: a sense of family, pride and duty. The least we can do as legislators is provide them with the honorary symbolism they deserve. Two minutes of silence would definitely honour them, and this is long overdue.
I did not want to take up too much time in the House today but I would like to thank the hon. member from Alliance Party whose parents I know happen to live in the great riding of Sackville--Musquodoboit Valley--Eastern Shore. They must be awfully proud of his initiative today. I encourage all members in the House and the other place, the Senate, to look at this motion with seriousness and give it the attention it so rightfully deserves.
On behalf of all the veterans and the military personnel in my riding and across the country, we want to thank the member once again. We hope this motion will pass fairly quickly.