Mr. Speaker, 70 years ago tomorrow the guns fell silent in Europe after five years and eight months of destruction and the death of tens of millions of people.
Victory in Europe Day commemorates the courage, service and sacrifice of millions of people committed to upholding freedom and democracy on behalf of those who could not do it themselves. Among them were one million Canadians in uniform, many of them related to people in the House and gallery today.
The history of Canada is replete with examples of our country standing up when it counts. We can never forget that and we should always be proud of that.
Today the veterans affairs committee and I, with the able assistance of my grandson Tyler and granddaughter Raiya, laid a wreath at the National War Memorial to pay homage to the 47,000 Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice, the tens of thousands wounded or taken prisoner, and the hundreds of thousands who returned home unscathed, at least physically, after having done their duty. Tyler and Raiya do not understand the significance of VE Day and other such days yet, but they will.
I invite all hon. members of the House and all Canadians to pause tomorrow and any day to thank all of those who guarantee our freedom and the freedom of all Canadians, like Tyler and Raiya.