Mr. Speaker, during the second world war and Korean war Canadian soldiers fought courageously in the name of freedom and democracy. However, they were not alone in their struggle. Hundreds of thousands of Polish, Jewish, Korean and Russian Allied soldiers fought alongside Canadians as brothers-in-arms and sacrificed much.
To the veterans who lost their homelands to the scourge of communism after the war, Canada offered a new home. Many of them started new lives here and have worked hard to help build our great country.
This noble legacy is why today our Conservative government is proud to be restoring well-deserved benefits to our Allied veterans through Bill C-33. These benefits were shamefully cut by the Liberal government in the 1990s.
Restoring these benefits is the right thing to do and our Allied veterans can once again stand tall knowing that their government honours and respects their important contributions.
We are pleased that some of those veterans are on Parliament Hill today to witness Bill C-33 receive royal assent in the Senate.
Let us all take this opportunity to thank them for their service and remember to always honour their sacrifice.