Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank the minister for asking the government to allow the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party to pay tribute to our veterans on this solemn occasion.
Today, we are taking time to mark Veterans Week. It is important to commemorate the men and women who fought and those who never came home to their families.
World War I ended on November 11, 1918. Canadian and Quebec soldiers had participated in one of the most devastating conflicts Europe had ever seen. Many took part, and too many died. After the armistice was signed, Canada decided to designate a day for remembering the soldiers who fell at the front.
Ever since, we have paused on this date to remember our armed forces. Everyone in this House knows the difficulties they must overcome and the efforts they make. They accept the most perilous of missions without flinching. Their only reward is the appreciation and gratitude of their fellow citizens and the immortal memory that is kept alive in our words and our hearts. When we gather each year to honour the memory of the fallen, it is our way of saying a collective thank you. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for your devotion to duty.
The people themselves make this very clear. One need only look, year after year, at the younger generations that take the time on November 11 to remember all that the veterans did. Some people travel to attend ceremonies and parades. Others wear the poppy. But all remember.
How can we forget the courage and valour of the women and men who donned the uniform and risked their lives for their missions? They are the ones who went to the front to defend the values on which our societies are based. When we talk about democracy, liberty and equality, these soldiers endured everything to ensure that those fundamental values are respected.
Human solidarity is on display whenever the time comes to help other people in their struggle to gain and preserve liberty and respect for basic human rights. Canadian soldiers are on the front lines defending these values, and we should never forget it. They accept all their missions with humility, determination and courage. We have a collective duty to remember that.
We remember, too, the men and women who took part in these conflicts out of uniform. We also remember the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and friends of these soldiers. We remember the families afflicted by the loss of one of their loved ones. This day is especially important to them, and we should underscore their sacrifice.
We remember our soldiers’ determination to accomplish their mission, restore the peace, and secure areas in order to help the civilians living there. Present and future generations are all indebted to our veterans. They are the ones who sacrificed so that we can live with our families in a world of peace and freedom.
This Veterans Week, the members of the Bloc Québécois are joining the other members of the House to say that we remember.