It’s fitting as we approach Remembrance Day week that I have the opportunity to speak on third reading of Bill 65, the Honouring Our Veterans Act, which amends the Remembrance Week Act, 2016.

I’d like to acknowledge the support of this proposed legislation by my caucus colleagues, the members of the official opposition, independent members and those who appeared before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs: the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 112 Whitby; Wounded Warriors Canada, including Steven Boychyn and Philip Ralph; Chris Leahy; from the town of Whitby, Deidre Newman; and Penelope Williams. Thank you all for your participation.

At its core, the nobility and the majesty of Remembrance Day can be found in the story of ordinary Ontarians who become extraordinary for the simplest ways and reasons. They loved their province and country so deeply, so profoundly, that they were willing to give their lives to keep it safe and free. The fallen we memorialize gave their last full measure of devotion, not so we might mourn them—though we do; not so that our province might honour their sacrifice—although it does. They gave their lives so that we might live ours; so that our sons and daughters might grow up to pursue their dreams; so that a wife might be able to live a long life, free and secure; so that a mother might raise her family in a province of peace and freedom.

Rightly, each year on Remembrance Day, we say thank you to all those who gave their lives for our country, for our freedom. It is when we pay tribute to the names of those etched on the cenotaphs in towns like Whitby, cities and hamlets situated in the region of Durham and other parts of Ontario, so generations who follow remember the price of their duty.

Speaker, our hearts also go out on Remembrance Day to the families left behind: young mothers who raise their children alone, and mothers and fathers who face perhaps life’s greatest heartbreak: being told that their son or daughter has died in combat. It’s also when we honour those who served in conflicts past and current and have returned home to towns, villages and cities across our great province, their service complete.

As Ontarians, we have never looked for conflict, but we always rise to the occasion when asked to defend our ideals. Speaker, now more than ever, I think it’s important to listen to veterans, to hear their stories, to remember.

I regularly visit Whitby’s long-term-care and retirement homes at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as Remembrance Day, after the main ceremony at the cenotaph in the centre of the town of Whitby. It provides me with an opportunity to meet with veterans and, in some situations, sit at their bedsides and listen to their stories. I’m inspired not only by the bravery they showed all these years ago but how that bravery continues to shine in their eyes.

While the nature of war has changed over time, the values that drive our brave men and women in uniform remain constant: honour, courage, selflessness. Those values live in the hearts of everyday heroes who risked everything for us, men and women who now rest forever. My Uncle James is one of them, killed in a battle in France during World War I. Speaker, in addition to his name, the words on James’s dog tag were also those of scripture: Greater love has no other than this, than to lay down your life for your friends.

It is a debt, Speaker, we can never fully repay, but it’s a debt that we’ll never stop trying to fully repay: by remaining a province worthy of their sacrifice, by living our own lives the way the fallen live theirs, a testament that greater love has no other than this, than to lay down your life for your friends.

Speaker, Penelope Williams, who served with the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve’s 734 Communication Squadron and also as a member of the NATO Veterans Organization of Canada, region of Durham chapter, had this to say during her delegation to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs:

“The act of remembrance by honouring those who died serving their country through a two-minute silence in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is a powerful act of inclusion and recognition. The commitment of Canadians who died to preserve peace and security extends beyond our borders. Their efforts not only embody Canada’s commitment to international diplomacy, but they also demonstrate our commitment to humanity and justice.”

Our wars have won for us every hour we live in freedom, but our wars have taken from us the women and men and every hour of the lifetimes they had hoped to live. Again, that testament, that greater love, has no other than this, than to lay down your life for your friends.

God bless our veterans. God bless those who continue to serve. Lest we forget.

Today, I stand before you humbled and moved as we discuss Bill 65, the Honouring Our Veterans Act, 2023. It is a moment that provides space for reflection, that provides space for gratitude. It is a moment that calls upon us to pause and consider the immense sacrifices made by those who have donned the uniform in service of our country.

In the shadow of the rich heritage and the histories of this Legislature, we are afforded the privilege to debate, to legislate and to lead. Yet it is crucial that we never lose sight of the sacrifices that have paved the way for our democratic freedoms. This bill, the Honouring Our Veterans Act, 2023, serves as a reminder of our duty and our obligation to remember and honour those sacrifices. The bill proposes a simple yet profoundly meaningful opportunity for members of this chamber to observe two minutes of silence on the last sessional day before Remembrance Day each year.

In the province of Ontario, we are home to over 149,000 veterans, as reported by Veterans Affairs Canada as of 2021; 11,000 of those served in the Korean War or the great wars. This is an astounding provincial sacrifice, as it accounts for almost half of the living veterans who survived in those earlier wars are from Ontario. These brave men and women, who have served in various capacities, from World War I to peacekeeping missions around the globe, have stood on the front lines defending our values, protecting our freedoms and ensuring the safety and the security of our nation.

Remembrance Day and recognizing our veterans is not specific to gratitude from us to the ones who have sacrificed; it is about teaching those values of gratitude and history to our children and the next generation. It is a responsibility that is of utmost importance in our schools, where the next generation of leaders will come from. According to the 2021 census, over two million children are enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in Ontario. It is important that we provide spaces for reflection in these chambers so that we lead by example and that spaces of reflection in our schools can be seen as important and vital to honour the sacrifices made by our veterans, as they are to the leaders in our community.

The Royal Canadian Legion, a stalwart advocate for veterans and remembrance, has long championed the importance of teaching Remembrance Day in schools. It goes beyond passing our values; it exceeds that. It’s about instilling the importance of gratitude. But why is this so important? It is important because remembrance is the foundation of gratitude, and gratitude is the foundation of community. It is the bridge between the past and the present, a bridge that allows us to understand and measure the true cost of our freedoms and our values.

In Ontario, we are fortunate to have a rich military history, a history that is woven into the very fabric of our province. From the battlefields of Europe to peacekeeping missions in distant lands, Ontarians have always answered the call to serve. It is this history, this legacy of service and sacrifice, that we must pass on to our children. So as we approach Remembrance Day, let us make a collective commitment to honour our veterans not just with words but with action. Let us commit to teaching our children about the sacrifices that were made, about the true cost of freedom and about the importance of gratitude.

Speaker, Remembrance Day is a moment for us, as representatives for the people of Ontario, to stand in unity, to lower our eyes and to remember—to remember the bravery, to visualize the courage, to recognize the sacrifices of those who have served in wars and peacekeeping efforts around the globe.

It is with a heavy heart, particularly in reference to the unstable landscape of our current international conflicts, to reflect on the people who sacrificed for the privileges we have here today. Speaker, it speaks to the robustness and the importance to which we should interpret and provide a lens to all conflicts going forward, by ensuring we reflect on the conflicts we have previously engaged in.

It is about ensuring we understand that the sacrifice has had a human cost and it deserves much empathy. That is why I see this bill as more than a call for silence; it is a call for reflection, for gratitude and for action. It is a call to ensure that the stories of our veterans are told, that their sacrifices are remembered and that their legacy is always honoured.

Speaker, I have had the distinct honour of representing the vibrant community of St. Catharines in this Legislature for over two decades. In that time, I have witnessed first-hand the profound impact that our veterans have had on our community. From the cenotaphs that stand as silent sentinels of remembrance with the name of soldiers that are engraved, that will never go old, to the Royal Canadian Legions that serve as hubs of support and camaraderie, our community is rich with reminders of the sacrifices made by our veterans.

Speaker, in Niagara, it is our veterans that are leaders on our community boards and not-for-profits. They advocate for mental health support. They encourage our city to provide places for reprieve and support. I am so proud to call Shawn Bennett my friend, one of the leads at the Valhalla Project that provides support for veterans. I am proud to have added my voice to his and the chorus of veterans that created the labyrinth in our community—a safe place for peace of mind and for help with healing.

I am proud of veteran-owned Arrowhead Coffee Co. in St. Catharines, which has great coffee. All funds of coffee that is sold goes to our veterans. In mentioning this work, what I see is that our veterans make a difference and that their sacrifice never stops. They may no longer serve in the military, but they continue to work to make our communities that much better. They are often—and I mean this sincerely—the best part of all of us. They reflect Canadian values about hard work, inclusivity, sacrifice, community building and gratitude. These are the same values I see all throughout Ontario, particularly in St. Catharines.

Speaker, when honouring our veterans, we need to honour the work that organizations do on their behalf: the great work at the Royal Canadian Legion; the great work of Ontario Command—Pam Sweeny and her team; the great work that occurs across all of their volunteers and Legions; the great work of all the non-profit moves that dial forward, that both sides of the House need to meet to try and make life better, more accessible, more fair for our veterans.

Speaker, it needs to be said that any legislation that increases space for honouring our veterans must come with support for supporting the work of our veterans. If all we action is space for memorialization, without real and profound conversations on reviewing and supporting their work, then we are doing a disservice. That work is commendable, as I see it. It includes ending homelessness, emergency support, mental health, better housing, combatting senior isolation. I see it in my community, and I know we all we see it within all of our communities.

Legions are often the hub in our communities for this work, and while this legislation will allow for recognition to increase in this chamber, that is to only ensure that our local organizations, our local Legions, know they have our support to increase the recognition in our communities.

In St. Catharines, we are home to four active and vibrant Legions: downtown Branch 24, the Polish Branch 418, Port Dalhousie Branch 350 and, of course, my home Legion, Merritton Branch 138. These Legions are more than just social clubs; they are sanctuaries of support, pillars of our community, and guardians of our collective memory.

Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not provide an example of why St. Catharines does such an exemplary job in honouring our veterans. If you want to know where to go to in St. Catharines to honour our veterans, then it is important I highlight it for you now, as I stand here during the debate on legislation to honour our veterans.

The journey in my community is a similar one that I know is shared in all of our communities. While I know everyone in this chamber will take the time to participate in their own community tributes, in St. Catharines, I have attended the events that pay tribute to our veterans—the beautiful tributes that are set up by our Royal Canadian Legions in our community, the veterans and all of the volunteers. As we debate this bill to honour our veterans, one that I suspect will receive all-party support, I would like to invite all members of this chamber to come to my community in St. Catharines and participate and honour the sacrifices of our veterans together, on October 27, with the Poppy Kick Off Parade, a vibrant procession that will weave its way through the heart of our city, beginning at our lovely mall, the Pen Centre, at 11 a.m. This parade is not just a march; it is a powerful statement, a collective declaration of our unwavering support for our veterans. It marks the beginning of the poppy campaign, a time-honoured tradition that calls upon us to wear our poppies with pride, and a worthwhile opportunity to volunteer with our Legions.

As we move through Veterans’ Week, our city will be showered with poppies and volunteers—seniors and children coming together, handing them out at nearly every grocery store and every corner in our community—each one a silent yet powerful tribute to the sacrifices of our veterans. And on Remembrance Day, November 11, we will gather as a community to pay our respects and to honour our heroes.

Legion Branch 24 is always well attended—a parade and a wreath-laying ceremony, commencing at St. Catharines City Hall and culminating at the Memorial Park cenotaph at 6 St. Paul Street West, beginning at 10:15 a.m. This ceremony is a cornerstone of our Remembrance Day observances—a time for us to stand shoulder to shoulder in reflection and heartfelt gratitude. I would like to recognize the Lincoln and Welland Regiment members and band that always attend the parade on November 11.

Not far behind, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 138 will host their own parade and wreath-laying ceremony, starting at Merritton Legion Branch 138, 2 Chestnut Street East, and marching proudly to the cenotaph at 343 Merritt Street, beginning at 10:40 a.m. This parade is very personal for me as it is in my own community, Merritton, and it is a powerful call to all of us to honour the legacy of our veterans. The Branch 138 Legion happens to be where I am a proud member.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 350 will lead a parade in the north part of our city, and a wreath-laying ceremony, starting at 57 Lakeport Road and proceeding to the Port Dalhousie cenotaph at Main Street and Ann Street, on November 5 at 11 a.m. This ceremony, set against the backdrop of our beautiful city, is the moment for all of us to come together and to remember and to give thanks.

And let us not forget our Polish club, still a symbolic home to Legion Branch 418, which will host its own parade and wreath-laying ceremony on November 5 at 11:30 a.m., and the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, which will lay wreaths in honour of the fallen on November 5 at 10 a.m.

Throughout this sacred week, our city will also play host to a series of armistice and remembrance dinners, culminating in the Lincoln and Welland Regiment gala on November 4 at 6 p.m. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO will be an honorary guest. I am going to be honoured to be attending.

The Lincoln and Welland Regiment has a storied and valuable history that has impacted our community and the Niagara region as a whole. We all hold the memory of Warrant Officer Dennis Brown, who laid down his life in the ultimate sacrifice, and for his friends.

I know that the ceremonies and events that will unfold in St. Catharines over the upcoming days are not just obligations; they are opportunities for us to come together as a community, and it is similar across all our communities. It is why I see the value in improving the ways in which we can honour our veterans in the chamber, because we are and should strive to always be a reflection of the honour our communities work so hard to place on our veterans throughout Veterans’ Week.

Speaker, as we discuss this bill, we must also reflect on the diversity of our veterans community. Canada’s military history is rich and varied, and it’s important that we recognize and honour the contributions of all veterans, regardless of their background. In the First World War, more than 4,000 Indigenous people served in uniform, a contribution that we have recently honoured with the cadet award. In Niagara, we annually celebrate the contribution of Black Canadians and veterans, ensuring that their stories are told and their sacrifices are always remembered. In Ontario, we are home to a diversity of Indigenous peoples, each with their own unique traditions and histories of military service. The Ojibwe, Cree, Mohawk and many others have always answered the call to serve, often at a proportional level that exceeds many other communities.

It’s vital that we strive to be as inclusive as possible in our remembrance. Our veterans come from all walks of life, from every corner of this great, great province. In the spirit of reconciliation and remembrance, let us commit to ensuring that, through legislation that provides more space and time for reflection, we use it to reflect on the contributions of Indigenous veterans. Let us work together to create a legacy of recognition, respect and gratitude for all who have served.

I speak today not just as a member of provincial Parliament but as someone who has family members who have served this great country. Both my grandfathers were in the Canadian air force, and I give great pride to my grandparents. My father was in the Royal Canadian Navy. And while I know many of you in this chamber will be honouring family members on November 11, many of you know already I am the proud mother of a veteran. My son, Jonathan Lindal, petty officer first class in the Royal Canadian Navy, serves our country with dedication and bravery. I am proud to see his progress—very proud, actually. I recognize the sacrifices he has made, and not only himself but his family. My daughter-in-law, Sarah, and his two beautiful daughters, my granddaughters, Josephine and Hazel, have given up their father at times for six months.

Honouring our veterans—this comes from the heart—is not only about individual sacrifices; it’s about recognition of sacrifices that come from families, from communities, a reminder of how connected we all are.

While I stand to move policy forward in the Ontario Legislature today, legislation to honour veterans, it is a reminder about why it is important. It is a reminder about my family and families of others in this chamber. This is an important message to receive.

Speaker, it is my loyalty to family and my duty to my community that has always driven my personal commitment to our veterans, both retired and active, both older and younger, and those that have taken the ultimate sacrifice. It is this connection that contextualizes my world, provides context to my work and gives meaning to my efforts to honour and support our veterans.

In this Legislature, I have strived to close the gaps that might cause a veteran to fall through some cracks. Even before becoming an MPP, I successfully pushed for free parking for veterans in St. Catharines. I successfully pushed for free public transportation for veterans within St. Catharines, making life easier and offering recognition to the sacrifices of our veterans.

I will continue to work to ensure that our veterans have the support they need, that their sacrifices are recognized and their legacy is honoured within this House, whether through pushing for younger veterans to be included in emergency funding programs from the province or ensuring no veteran has their disability awards clawed back.

It is a reminder to all of us in this chamber that memorials and reflection and recognition are important to honour our veterans, but so are real actions—a provincial commitment to abolish all homelessness for veterans, ensure there are robust support systems, housing and health care and so much more.

In conclusion, I’d like to thank the member from Whitby for all of his continuing support of our Canadian military and service members, to our Legions across Ontario. I will be supporting the Honouring Our Veterans Act, 2023.

I know I’m out of time, but I’ve just got one little line to say. Let us remember them, let us honour them, let us teach gratitude, let us strive to provide more real support to our communities and let us ensure that their legacies live on for generations to come. I thank you for your time.

It’s an honour today to rise and speak in support of Bill 65, the Honouring Our Veterans Act, and I want to express my deep gratitude to the member for Whitby for bringing this bill forward. It’s an appropriate bill to bring all members of this House together to honour our veterans, and I think it’s important for us as members of this Legislature to observe two minutes of silence to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country and make the opportunity available for members to give speeches.

I know one of the most memorable things I’ve had the honour of doing in this House as a party leader is to rise and be one of those members who have the opportunity to honour our veterans on this floor. I think it’s important that all members have that opportunity to show our deep gratitude to our veterans and to their families. So I want to thank the member from Whitby for providing us with that opportunity through this bill.

Remembrance Week and Remembrance Day are truly meaningful moments each and every year, and it’s always an honour to stand with our veterans, our first responders and their families to honour them on Remembrance Day as we pay tribute to the sacrifices they’ve made, both seen and unseen.

I’m particularly honoured to be representing the riding of Guelph, the home riding of Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, who was born on November 30, 1872. Last year, we had the honour of honouring the 150th birthday of John McCrae, and we’re blessed in Guelph to have our Royal Canadian Legion branch named in Lieutenant Colonel McCrae’s honour.

He volunteered in World War I at the age of 41 and was quoted as saying in a letter, “I am really rather afraid, but more afraid to stay at home with my conscience.” So, at 41, he went to Europe to fight for Canada, to fight for all Canadians.

In 1915, on May 3, he witnessed one of his best friends being killed in battle. He woke up in the next morning and he wrote this famous Canadian poem, and I’ve always had moments in the House to read bits and pieces of it, but I’ve never had enough time read it in full, I’m going to today in honour of Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Speaker, when I put my poppy on this Friday and go to the Legion for the annual raising of the poppy flag and the launch of the poppy campaign in Guelph and in communities across Ontario and around this country, I’ll of course be thinking of Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and all veterans, and I ask all Ontarians to support and participate in the poppy campaigns because the money that our Legions raise through those campaigns are more than an offer of wearing something to honour veterans, but they provide funds to support veterans and their families.

As many of us know, fewer and fewer veterans are now members of our Royal Canadian Legion, so I also want to let my fellow Ontarians know that you don’t have to be a veteran to join the Legion. I’m not a veteran myself, but I’m a proud member of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 234. I encourage all Ontarians to join their local Legion and participate in the friendship and fellowship that our Legions offer their comrades.

I’m also a member of the Red Chevron Club Branch 4 in Guelph. There were four Red Chev clubs founded in the province of Ontario, in Toronto, Peterborough, London and Guelph. They were formed in World War I for veterans to have friendship and fellowship and a gathering place. I encourage all Ontarians to continue to support clubs like the Red Chev. Even though there aren’t many, we still have ours in Guelph.

I’m also going to think about my granddad, John Boyd. My middle name is John, named after my granddad. Sorry, I get emotional. He was a World War II vet. He was in the navy. He never wanted to talk about his service because it was too traumatic. I can’t imagine what he experienced, what he went through. I was lucky, because right before he passed away, I took the time, and he granted me the opportunity to tell his stories. So I recorded his stories, and I understood, in those moments when we talked, why he didn’t want to talk about it too much with his family, because he did not want them to know the horrors and the pain and the trauma he experienced. Even though my granddad was the gentlest, nicest person you would ever meet, he didn’t want people to know the anger he felt about what he saw and what he went through. And I think of so many veterans from so many wars and peacekeeping operations and military operations that have had that exact same experience.

So, when we remember and when we remain silent on the 11th day of the 11th month in the 11th hour, I’m going to be thinking and praying and offering gratitude to all the veterans and their families, because we also know their families made tremendous sacrifices. My grandma talked about the fact that she had never left home, and she went with my grandfather to his base for training and they got married right before he left. She’s like, “Jeez, how crazy is that? I’m going to marry this gentleman and he’s going to leave, and here I am stuck all alone in a little tiny apartment somewhere where I don’t even know anyone. But I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to be there to support his service. I wanted to be there to honour him.”

I know what kind of sacrifice families go through, and we as Ontarians and as Canadians benefit from that sacrifice. We live in the best province in the best country, the best place anywhere in the world we could live. We have democracy. We have freedom. We have the opportunity in this House to disagree and debate each other and have our moments. The reason we have those opportunities and the quality of life that we all have here is because people were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect us, to protect this place, to protect what we stand for and what we value.

I want to thank the member from Whitby for bringing this bill forward, and I hope all members in the House today and in years to come take the opportunity to tell their stories, to tell their families’ stories and express their gratitude for the veterans who have sacrificed so much so we could enjoy so much.