Mr. Speaker, a century ago, tens of thousands of Canadian volunteers went overseas to defend our rights and freedoms during the first Great War. In the fields of France and Belgium, they demonstrated unfaltering resolve, bravery, and camaraderie in the face of terrible danger. The National War Memorial was built so that future generations would never forget their sacrifices, and it has become this nation's most sacred place of remembrance.
On October 22, Corporal Nathan Cirillo embodied this spirit as he stood at his post above the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He was a mirror of the tenacity that has been timelessly captured in the faces of the bronze servicemen above him.
The National War Memorial today is different than it was last Tuesday in that a new guardian now stands on eternal watch.
As Corporal Nathan Cirillo is laid to rest, a grateful nation salutes him and thanks him.
Lest we forget.