Mr. Speaker, at 5:00 a.m. on the 19th of August, 1942, Allied soldiers launched a raid on Nazi-occupied Dieppe.
Of the 6,000 mostly Canadian soldiers that went ashore, 60% were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. Those who survived the carnage would be treated by nurses, including the Augustinian nun named Sister Agnes-Marie Valois.
To her, they were “my Canadians”. To them, she was “the Angel of Dieppe”. Her compassion was only matched by her bravery. On one occasion, she stood between a captured Canadian soldier and a Nazi pistol, declaring that the bullet would need to pass through her first.
Sadly, we learned recently of her passing at the age of 103. Sister Marie-Agnes, “your Canadians” are eternally grateful. May you rest in peace.