Remembrance Must Renew Canada’s Will to Stay United

by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC FEC, CET, P.Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East On November 11, Canadians will gather before cenotaphs, bow their heads and observe two minutes of silence. We will remember those who died, honour those who served and repeat our solemn promise never to forget. This year, we should also ask ourselves a difficult question: what responsibility does their sacrifice place upon the country we are becoming? After Alberta’s referendum and amid the tariff conflict with the United States, that question carries particular urgency. Canada faces pressures from within and beyond its borders. Remembrance Day should help us recover the shared purpose necessary to meet them, while keeping the fallen at the centre of our observance. Alberta’s vote offers an opportunity. Unofficial results showed a decisive preference for remaining in Canada rather than beginning the legal process towards a binding separation referendum. The distinction matters: this was not a direct vote on independence. Nevertheless, the message provides an opening for renewed national cooperation. It must not become an excuse for Ottawa to declare victory and stop listening. A country cannot remain united simply because separation appears costly or uncertain. It must offer its citizens convincing reasons to build their future together. Albertans deserve respect, as do Quebecers, Atlantic Canadians, Ontarians, British Columbians and the people of the Prairies and North. Unity requires a federation whose members believe their contributions matter and their concerns receive a fair hearing. The tariff conflict reinforces the need for that solidarity. American restrictions and Canadian countermeasures have reached across industries and communities. Behind every trade announcement stand workers, businesses and families facing uncertainty. Even if negotiations produce relief, Canada should remember how vulnerable economic dependence can make a sovereign country. We should seek a constructive relationship with the United States. Geography, commerce, family connections and our defence partnership make that relationship essential. However, friendship requires mutual respect. Canada needs the capacity to defend its interests without having every disagreement become a test of whether we can withstand economic pressure from our largest customer. That is where remembrance acquires a contemporary meaning. Those who served did not all share the same politics, language, religion or birthplace. Their experiences were different, and their reasons for serving were personal. Yet service required them to accept obligations beyond themselves. They depended upon one another. The country they represented was larger than the differences they brought into uniform. As a retired Canadian Army officer and former parliamentarian, I believe that lesson deserves renewed attention. Military service teaches that common purpose requires preparation, trust and responsibility. A unit cannot function if every member considers only personal advantage. A federation also weakens when its leaders treat every national decision as an opportunity to defeat another region. This does not mean citizens should remain silent about unfair policies. Democracy depends upon disagreement. Governments must answer for decisions that damage livelihoods, waste public money or deepen regional resentment. However, criticism should aim to improve the country. Political leaders have a particular obligation to avoid turning legitimate grievances into permanent hostility towards fellow Canadians. Remembrance Day must remain above party politics. No government owns the flag, no party owns patriotism and no province possesses a superior claim to military sacrifice. The cenotaph belongs to the whole community. Its meaning diminishes whenever public figures use the dead to validate a partisan position or suggest that dissent amounts to disloyalty. We should therefore approach November 11 with humility. Veterans hold different views about Canada’s future, just as other citizens do. Honouring their service means respecting that freedom. The unity worth preserving is a democratic unity, strong enough to accommodate disagreement and confident enough to confront the country’s failures honestly. Nevertheless, ceremonies should encourage responsibility after the wreaths have been removed. A government that praises military sacrifice should equip the people serving today. Defence commitments require trained personnel, reliable equipment, functioning infrastructure and the ability to protect Canadian territory. Parliamentary speeches cannot substitute for readiness. Sovereignty becomes fragile when a country repeatedly postpones the practical work required to defend it. The same principle applies to veterans. Public gratitude must be reflected in accessible treatment, timely benefits and sustained support for families. A veteran struggling with an injury should not have to prove repeatedly that the country owes a duty of care. Remembrance becomes credible through the quality of that continuing relationship. Economic resilience also belongs within a serious discussion of independence. Canada should make it easier to trade across provincial boundaries, develop infrastructure, connecting regions and bring Canadian products to additional markets. Energy, transportation, manufacturing and critical minerals should be approached as opportunities for shared prosperity. Provinces need reasons to see one another as partners. These choices will involve difficult negotiations. Indigenous rights must be respected, environmental responsibilities addressed and public investment scrutinized. Calling something a national project should never exempt it from accountability. However, endless jurisdictional confrontation also carries a cost. A country that cannot organize its own strengths leaves others greater influence over its future. Our schools and community institutions have a role as well. Young Canadians should understand whom we remember, what military service demands and why democratic freedoms require protection. They should encounter veterans as people, with achievements, losses and complicated memories. Historical understanding can give the ceremony meaning that repetition alone cannot provide. This November 11, let us preserve the silence, the solemnity and the focus on those who served. Then let that remembrance influence our conduct throughout the year: how we govern, how we disagree and how we treat one another across provincial boundaries. Alberta’s referendum cannot settle every grievance. A trade agreement cannot guarantee lasting economic security. Both remind us that Canada requires continuing effort. The fallen left us no instructions for every policy dispute. They left us a responsibility: to care for the country whose uniform they wore. We honour them best when we keep Canada free, capable and united. Lest we forget!