A British newspaper salutes Canada . . . this is a good read.  It is funny how it took someone in England to put it into words...Makes you proud to be CANADIANS.

Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region.  And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance.  A fire breaks out; she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries.  But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped Glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts.  For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions.  It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved.  Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy.

Almost 10% of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War and nearly 60,000 died.  The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.  Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, it's unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the "British."

The Second World War provided a re-run.  The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack.  More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone.  Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth- largest air force in the world.

The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time.   Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian.  Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British.

It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of it's sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them.   The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces.  Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular on-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators.  Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan?  Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun.

It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost.  This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.

Please pass this on to any of your friends or relatives who served in the Canadian Forces or anyone who is proud to be Canadian;  it is a wonderful tribute to those who choose to serve their country and the world in our quiet Canadian way.

 

 

 

 

Ode to Veterans

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERANN, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN,
who salutes the Flag.

It is the VETERAN,
who serves under the Flag.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

We can be very proud
of our young men and women
in the service no matter where they serve.

God Bless them all!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

National Flag of Canada Day

At the stroke of noon on February 15, 1965, Canada's red and white maple leaf flag was raised for the very first time.

The flag belongs to all Canadians; it is an emblem we all share.

Although simple in design, Canada's Flag well reflects the common values we hold so clear: freedom, peace, respect, justice and tolerance.  Canada's flag is a symbol that unites Canadians and expresses throughout the world and always our pride in being Canadian.

The maple leaf pays homage to our geography, reflects the grandeur of our history and represents our national identity.

Our flag thus honours Canadians of all origins who through their courage and determination, have helped to build and are continuing to build our great country: a dynamic country that is open to the future.

Therefore, I, Jean Chretien, Prime Minister of Canada, declare that February 15 will be celebrated henceforth as National Flag of Canada Day.

Let us be proud of our flag!  Let us recognize how privileged we are to live in Canada, this magnificent country that encompasses our history, our hopes, our future.

Jean Chretien

Prime Minister of Canada February 15, 1996

 

 

 

 

Highway of Heroes to Honour Fallen Soldiers
Section of 401 between Trenton and Toronto to receive memorial designation
(Published by Meagan Fitzpatrick, The Ottawa Citizen)

A stretch of Canada's busiest highway will bear the name Highway of Heroes in honour of the country's fallen soldiers.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation confirmed yesterday it plans to designate the portion of Highway 401 from Trenton to Toronto with the new name.

Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield said she and Premier Dalton McGuinty supported the idea as soon as they heard about it.

"When someone does give that sacrifice it's a way to pay that kind of deference and honour and respect, not only to those individuals but to their families.  It's like a living legacy," Ms. Cansfield told CanWest News Service.

Ms. Cansfield said government officials will consult with veterans groups and others impacted by the decision to determine how the idea should be implemented.

"It's an opportunity for us to remember, to provide the respect to our troops which I think is really important, especially in this day and age," said Ms. Cansfield.  "It's a whole lot more than just one day in November."

The highway will retain its official name as the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, but the 172 kilometre stretch from Trenton to Toronto will have signs marking it as the Highway of Heroes.

It is the route travelled when a fallen soldier is brought back to Canada from Afghanistan.  The body is flown to CFB Trenton and then goes on to the coroner's office in Toronto in a convoy of vehicles that includes the soldier's family.

Since 2002, when the first of Canada's fallen soldiers were returned from Afghanistan, people have lined the bridges over the highway to pay their respects as the convoy passes. The crowds, which seem to grow in number with each death, wave Canadian flags and solemnly stand by as the hearse makes its way down the road with a police escort.

In June, a front-page photo of one such event, taken by Cobourg, Ont. based photojournalist Pete Fisher and published in the Toronto Sun, sparked a chain reaction that led to the government's decision to name the stretch of road the Highway of Heroes.

Mr. Fisher said he was grateful when he heard about the government's decision.

"Playing a small part in this was more than enough for me but it's every other person that signed their name and stood on the bridge that did this," he said.

 

 

 

 

 

VLT Commission Rates Increase

 

 

 

 

Side by Side

This is dedicated to the men and women of
the Canadian Armed forces who have fought
and died for freedom
through-out this world since our country was born.
(Written by Troy A. Johnston - October 2007)

Through the sands of time.
The memories of them.
The memories that are mine.
How they fought.
How they ran.
The freedom they bought,
With nothing more than the thought,
"WE CAN"
In a land far from here,
A different world.
Filled with mud,
Filled with tears,
Filled with blood,
from those six long years.
They marched __ Side by Side
They crawled __ Side by Side.
They won __ Side by Side.
And they died __ Side by Side.
All for us __ For the Freedom Cry.

 

 

 

 

 

Veterans' Umbudsman

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 15, 2007) - The Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs, announced today that Canada's New Government has fulfilled its promise to better meet the needs of Veterans by appointing a Veterans Ombudsman.  The appointment follows Prime Minister Stephen Harper's announcement last April to create a Veterans Bill of Rights and the Veterans Ombudsman Office.   Following a public selection process, Colonel Patrick B. Stogran has been named Canada's first Veterans Ombudsman.

"Our Veterans have always been willing to stand up for Canada and we are proud to stand by them now by appointing a Veterans Ombudsman," said Minister Thompson.   "With the appointment of Colonel Stogran, we are ensuring that the needs and concerns of our Veterans continue to be treated with the respect they deserve.  Our Veterans have earned that."

Colonel Stogran is currently the Associate Director General of Science and Technology Operations at Defence Research and Development Canada.  He has a long and distinguished career in the military.  Among his many accomplishments, Colonel Stogran was Commanding Officer of troops in Afghanistan and also served in Bosnia.

"The contributions and sacrifices made by our Veterans have helped to make Canada such a great country.  As the Veterans Ombudsman, I look forward to addressing the concerns of these brave men and women," said Colonel Stogran.

The Veterans Ombudsman Office is located in the National Capital Region.

For more information on the Veterans Ombudsman, visit www.vac-acc.gc.ca or call, toll free, 1-866-522-2122.

For more information, please contact

Veterans Affairs Canada
Janice Summerby
Media Relations Advisor
613-992-7468

or

Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
Richard Roik
Director of Communications
613-996-4649

 

 

 

 

 

Line Dancing

 

 

 

 

 

Convention 09 - Photos

Attendees at the Convention Banquet.	Attendees at the Convention Banquet.
New Command President Gord Walker being installed.	New Command Executive.
Command Ladies Auxiliary & Command Ladies Auxiliary Sgt-at-Arms.	Representative of Veterans Affairs laying wreaths.
Command Parade.	Command President R. Fisette & Sgt-at-Arms D. Harvie laying a wreath.