Mr. Speaker, today is the 85th anniversary of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
For 85 years now, the commission, supported by Veterans Affairs Canada and our Commonwealth partners, has contributed greatly to the commemoration and remembrance of the achievements and sacrifices of those who gave their lives for peace during the first and second world wars. This includes over 110,000 Canadians who paid the ultimate price.
Sir Winston Churchill once said that these beautifully maintained graveyards and monuments would “preserve the memory of a common purpose pursued by great nations in the remote past and will undoubtedly excite the wonder and the reverence of future generations”. Indeed it has.
Over the last 85 years, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has ensured that those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the fields of Europe would not be forgotten. Today I encourage all Canadians to remember those veterans who fought and died during the first and second world wars and if possible to visit the Commonwealth cemeteries to truly understand the magnitude of the sacrifices made by our Canadian troops and those of our allies.