Mr. Speaker, at 11:30 today at the National War Memorial there will be a wreath laying in honour and commemoration of the 62nd anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands.
Those of us from Holland and those of us of Dutch ancestry wish to continuously thank the Canadian people and remember the sacrifices of our armed forces personnel during that terrible time of World War II.
We in Holland have a saying that if you are not Dutch, you are not much, but we only get to say that because of the liberation by the Canadians and her allies.
There are 5,700 brave Canadians who are buried on Dutch soil. Today we remember their sacrifices. This weekend, we also remember the sacrifices made in the Battle of the Atlantic. Thousands of armed forces personnel and merchant mariners laid down their lives in the great blue Atlantic Ocean in order that all of us can be free.
This is a wonderful weekend to commemorate those who passed on before us. We would also like to say congratulations to our current armed forces personnel who serve us so gallantly around the world.
It is we in the House of Commons who salute all of them.