Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honour to rise today to pay tribute to, and express my sincere gratitude for, the service and sacrifice veterans have made in this province and for our country. To those who made the ultimate sacrifice, they provide a stark reminder of what it takes to defend our rights and freedoms. We all continue to benefit from your sacrifices, and each and every one of us has a duty to defend our democracy, our rights and freedoms. As Guelph’s famous son, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae said, “If ye break faith with us who die / We shall not sleep, though poppies grow / In Flanders fields.” To those who served, we shall not break faith with what you fought and died for.

The scars of war run deep. I’ve experienced it in the stoicism of my own family members who served, who quietly carried memories of the horrors they experienced to protect those of us they loved. We have an obligation to not only remember and pay tribute, but to also care and support those who served and their families who carry the pain of their loss.

To the veterans and first responders of this province and this country, I say thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your service and sacrifice. We must honour it. We must remember it. Lest we forget.