Mr. Speaker, in Nova Scotia and in Halifax, October 23 is HMCS Kootenay Day. The HMCS Kootenay was a Restigouche-class destroyer in the Royal Canadian Navy. Forty-eight years ago, in 1969, the Kootenay was passing through the English Channel, headed home to Canada after exercises in the United Kingdom. At 8:10 in the morning, the Kootenay was ordered to perform a routine full-power exercise. The trial ended in tragedy. At 8:21 a.m., a mechanical failure suddenly caused an explosion and fire in the starboard gearbox. The resulting fire and smoke claimed the lives of nine crew members and seriously injured 53 others. The tragic incident remains the worst peacetime incident in the history of the Royal Canadian Navy.
I invite all members of the House to join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to the crew of the HMCS Kootenay and their loved ones. May we never forget that today we enjoy all the privileges of being Canadian because of their courage and service.