Mr. Speaker, as we have moved out of the building with the Peace Tower and Memorial Chamber that honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice to Canada, it is quite fitting that in my final speech of the week, during this first week in the new chamber in West Block, I am going to speak about something that is very important to military families, veterans and Canadians: preserving the legacy of those who died in the service of Canada.
Bill C-64 is a bill that deals with wrecked, abandoned and hazardous vessels, and there is a lot in it. At times, the abandoned, hazardous vessels that appear listless, to me, sounds like a description of the Liberal cabinet.
Regardless, this is a bill that deals with an important maritime safety piece. It is an example of how the Senate and the House of Commons, but most importantly Canadians, have worked to make sure Bill C-64 preserves something far greater than the maritime regulations for safety regarding abandoned vessels. It is going to preserve the remains of those who died on the sea in service of our country.
As a veteran and someone who spoke regularly in the old chamber on these issues, and now in this one, I am honoured to say a few words and to thank the Canadians who helped the Senate and the House make this legislation better and to preserve the legacy that we owe to our fallen.
This bill, as amended by the Senate, would allow the government to make regulations to protect and preserve Canada's war graves. I want to thank the patriotic Canadians who brought this to committee and to the Senate, and who pushed these amendments forward in collaboration with many members on both sides of this chamber.
Project Naval Distinction was behind this effort. I want to thank its leaders, and most importantly retired captain Paul Bender, a World War II veteran who has been fighting passionately on this issue for many years to protect the final resting place of our service men and women. It is going to be achieved by this legislation. Alongside him is retired vice-admiral Denis Rouleau and the hon. Ian Holloway, a naval veteran who is now the dean of law at the University of Calgary, as well as a good friend of mine, Richard Blackwolf, the head of the Canadian Aboriginal Veterans and Serving Members Association. These volunteers and passionate Canadians have been pushing for this.
I also want to add to that group a friend and former staff member of mine, Patrick White, a naval lieutenant in the reserves who is currently attending law school. He worked for me when I was parliamentary secretary and when I was minister of veterans affairs. He was one of the serving or veteran members of my office. I was so proud that as a law student, working alongside Captain Bender, he appeared before committee to ensure that we preserve this important testament to the people who gave their lives serving Canada.
This legislation would preserve the final resting place of our merchant marine and warships on which Canadian sailors and merchant mariners perished, and in particular, those from the longest single battle of the Second World War. While there are war graves from before that, many of the vessels that would get protection by regulations from this legislation are from the Battle of the Atlantic, which between 1939 and 1945 achieved victory in that conflict. It was the single longest battle of the Second World War.
This legislation would recognize and define the war graves of these shipwreck sites, provide regulations regarding their preservation and even attach penalties for violating these sacred areas. Thank you to the amazing Canadian veterans and volunteers, the passionate patriots who pushed to make this happen.
The U.K. has had similar legislation for about 20 years, which is the Protection of Military Remains Act. I want to also thank our our allies in France, whose government also has legislation preserving shipwrecks. Captain Bender and the volunteers of Project Naval Distinction have actually worked with the French to protect HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Guysborough, which lie in French territorial waters. These volunteers have been working not only to make sure our legislation is better but have been working with our allies.
I want to thank our ally, France.
Let us review how profound the Battle of the Atlantic was. Seventy-two merchant marine vessels supplying the war effort were lost as well as over 1,600 lives. In fact, Conservative MP Elsie Wayne fought for years to ensure our merchant marine veterans received better and appropriate recognition. Their loss and casualty rate was one in seven in the Second World War. I want to thank those veterans and their families, and let them know we will preserve those wrecks.
The Royal Canadian Navy lost 26 warships and seven torpedo boats. Over 2,000 lives from the Royal Canadian Navy were lost in the Battle of the Atlantic and 752 from the Royal Canadian Air Force, which was flying in conjunction with the anti-submarine warfare type missions to protect the convoys.
As a proud naval air veteran in the House, I am proud of the navy and air force's tradition of working on this. I am proud to have served on the HMCS St. John's as part of the air detachment. We continued that legacy of protecting the ships and lives at sea from the subsurface threat. There was incredible collaboration between the merchant marine, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force and our allies to ensure the war effort was run.
Civilians can be recognized through this as well, because 136 lives were lost on SS Caribou, a ferry which was sunk in transit between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. You seem to be very aware of that, Mr. Speaker. This is part of Canada's remarkable contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic and to global peace and security. We should be proud of it, but we should fight to preserve it. The bill would do that.
When we talk about our military history and veterans and when we hear numbers like 2,000 in the navy, 752 in the air force and 1,600-plus in the merchant marine, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that those are not numbers. Each one is a family that was gripped by the loss of its son or daughter. We cannot lose sight of that. Therefore, I invite parliamentarians to think of that as we pass this and support it with these amendments, that we are thankful for all sides and Project Naval Distinction for making it happen.
In Westboro, there is a bench with a plaque dedicated to Lieutenant Leslie Ward, who died aboard HMCS Athabaskan on April 29, 1944.
Now, lives lost at sea are recognized in the naval monument in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax. I and many members have been there. We can hear the bell toll for each ship lost, and the many rings makes us realize how many ships were lost. However, the names are not there because we count them in ships.
Decades ago, Lieutenant Ward was honoured at the Point Pleasant monument. Fortunately, naval veterans and his family also honoured him in Westboro on Wellington Street just down the road. People can go have a seat on the bench in his honour and contemplate the thousands of Canadians who died serving us on the oceans.
To end my remarks on a Friday and to end my remarks with respect to those lives lost, I will say a a few words selected from the naval prayer:
Preserve us from the dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enemy; that we may be a safeguard unto our most gracious Sovereign Lady...and her Dominions...that the inhabitants of our Commonwealth may in peace and quietness serve Thee...and that we may return in safety to enjoy the blessings of the land...
For those who did not return to enjoy the blessings of the land, this bill and its amendments, thanks to many Canadians, will preserve and protect their final resting place.
Lest we forget.