by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC,
FEC, CET, P. Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
COVID-19 has cast its influence on Remembrance Day Services for November 11, 2021 together with the residential schools' drama. Regardless of the regulations brought by public health officials and other politicians to prevent the spread of the virus and the issues connected to the indigenous children's unmarked graves, we must take the time to remember our veterans in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month just as we have done every other year before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and other politically correct issues.
The alterations to this year's Remembrance Day are unhappy ones, yet safety regulations are important to follow as a fourth wave of the virus has appeared in different parts of Canada since the late summer and early fall.
The limitations on gatherings, along with social distancing measures, have transformed important annual events across Canada, including the upcoming Remembrance Day.
Regardless of the 2021 pandemic, Canadians shouldn't forget to show their respect for our veterans this year on November 11 as in times past, but public safety must be kept in mind too. Wear a poppy with pride.
The remembrance must go on as it went on in 1918 despite the deadly Spanish flu which continued to inflict a devastating blow on a nation that had already faced the trials of war. Their endurance and sacrifices in face of the war and pandemic should be an example for our generation and generations to come, in preserving our national unity and identity.
November 11th is a day to stand in silent reflection of so many other days that have come before it. It is a day that remembers those brave Canadians who consolidated our nation.
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, more than a century ago when the guns of the Great War at last fell silent, the fury of conflict was replaced by a deafening silence.
After more than four years of this intense conflict of country against country, human being against human being, we were faced with all we had done, all we had lost and all we had sacrificed as a nation.
Despite detractors and those who would rewrite history today, in an attempt to minimize this important event for our nation, Canadians will stand strong in defending the sacrifices of their ancestors for a better, free and strong Canada for centuries to come.
We need to remember the wise words of Nobel peace prize laureate and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel: "Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future."
Remembrance Day isn't just about war and those we've lost. It is also about ideals and what we stand for. It's about respecting our past and looking hopefully forward, and more than anything, thanking those who have served our country, Canada, with pride and dedication.
From the trenches of the First World War, to the Second World War and the Korean War, to the deserts of Afghanistan, years and generations have passed defending the beliefs and values that we as Canadians stand for.
One hundred and three years ago, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the armistice between Britain, France, and Germany went into effect, bringing an end to the First World War.
More than 625,000 Canadian men and women had served, 154,361 had been wounded and 61,082 had lost their lives-a full 10% of those who served our country, lost their lives for our freedom.
The year 1918 and the end of the First World War-the origin of Remembrance Day-seem so very long ago in the context of many of our lives here today.
But at the same time, the reality of war is only as far away as a veteran, a family member, friend or neighbour who has been touched by that war or those that have followed. Similarly, much of who and what we are as a nation, was defined by war.
And so today, we take the time to reflect, remember and honour those who fought for our freedom in the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, Peacekeeping operations and the recent war in Afghanistan.
We also remember those who stayed in Canada, and served on home soil in supporting the war efforts.
On this day we remember the brave members of our Canadian Armed Forces who left behind what they loved and lived for to carry out their job with purpose and pride.
It's a feeling many of us will never have to experience.
As husbands and wives, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters, these brave citizens are certainly not faceless.
They are friends and neighbours. They have dreams and goals.
And they have plans for the future.
That's why it's important that Remembrance Day has become such a significant part of Canadian culture and will continue to be.
Over the course of November 11, communities across our great country will gather this time merely spiritually around cenotaphs and war memorials to honour our men and women in uniform and the sacrifices they have made and will continue to make for this great country.
We are not celebrating war; we are celebrating freedom and nationhood thanks to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us and future generations of Canadians.
We pause to reflect on those who've, indeed, made the ultimate sacrifice. They put themselves on the line out of a sense of duty, to defend our freedom, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Their unwavering bravery has made all Canadians proud.
That these brave citizens would put themselves on the line to defend freedom, human rights, democracy and the rule of law is most honourable. We owe them a debt of gratitude the rest of us can never repay.
Let us also remember in these difficult times the words of John F. Kennedy:
" Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."
The least we can do is to come together in spirit to show our respect during a moment of silence, to think of them, the risks they took, and their sacrifices.
We'll forever remember, never forget.
Lest we forget!
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