Address to the Brockville Legion

September 16, 2007

Thank you for your kind invitation to participate in the in this celebration of Legion Week and the 60th anniversary of the Brockville Legion.

It is a real privilege to be here today - to be with men and women who work so hard to make a difference in the lives of our Veterans.

You represent the very ideal of honouring a commitment. And of taking action simply because it’s the right thing to do.

When it comes to representing our Veterans, no one does it quite like you and your 400,000 fellow Legion members across Canada.  You have dedicated yourselves to the mission of caring for those who have taken care of Canada for so long.

In a sense, you’ve been our truest Veterans’ Ombudsman for so many decades.  Which is why I was pleased when our government created the Office for a federal Veterans’ Ombudsman earlier this year.

We understand how important the Ombudsman position is.  How, for too long, you’ve been shouldering the work that previous federal governments refused to do. 

And with our new Veterans’ Bill of Rights, we have put our commitment in writing.  Because you’ve earned that.  Because you deserve that.

And that is why events like today are so important. 

They remind us of the great debt we owe to those brave men and women who have served Canada, and who continue to serve Canada. 

They remind us of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our way of life.  Protecting our shared values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

They are the same values that our Canadian Forces continue to defend here at home and in troubled spots around the world.

As we speak, Canadian Forces are helping the people of Afghanistan to secure a better future for themselves and their country.

Helping Afghanistan carries on the noble Canadian tradition of bringing stability and peace to parts of the world plagued by violence and suffering.

That is the proud heritage of our Veterans. 

And for that, they deserve our support, our thanks and our admiration.

Thank you again for inviting me to be here today.