Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Firefighters' National Memorial Day, which falls yearly on the second Sunday of September. Across Canada, more than 1,000 firefighters have died in the line of duty, including 353 Toronto firefighters. They will not be forgotten.
This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting fire stations and meeting firefighters across my riding of Don Valley North, a community fortunate enough to have four fire stations. I want to take this occasion to acknowledge their professionalism and commitment to keeping us safe. Every day, they stand ready to run into danger to save lives and livelihoods.
We owe firefighters and their families an enduring debt of gratitude, and I thank them for their service, their sacrifice and their unwavering dedication to safeguarding Canadians across the country.