Madame Speaker, I rise today to remind Canadians of their democratic duty.
Never have I been prouder to be Canadian than when I helped to serve a hot Christmas dinner in 2006 to troops just coming off the front lines in Afghanistan, and again in the last election when I received an email from a commanding officer detailing how his troops were willingly accepting additional risks to deliver ballot boxes to those same front lines, to ensure that no soldier missed the opportunity to vote.
Compare these young Canadians, who are already putting their young lives on the line to bring democracy to a war-torn land, including extra risks in the name of democracy, with citizens back home in Canada who have become so apathetic, they cannot even be bothered to cross the street to vote.
There is no greater privilege than having the right to vote. People have died to preserve that right; indeed some people still are in some lands. I implore all Canadians to think about their choices and re-engage in the political process.