Hon. Rebecca Patterson: Honourable senators, during this week of remembrance, both conflict and geopolitical instability place the peace and security that we enjoy, as Canadians, increasingly under pressure.

Like countless conflicts in the past, Canadian women and men have always answered the call to defend Canada and our values — at home and abroad. In April, I spoke to you about the 38th Ottawa Overseas Battalion and the actions of Captain Thain MacDowell, who earned the Victoria Cross at Vimy Ridge.

In June, I relayed to you that Francis Godon of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles described how landing at Juno Beach on D-Day was like wading through ketchup because the sand was so thick and red with the blood of the fallen.

It is too easy to think of conflict as something in the past. Canadian schoolchildren learn about Vimy and Juno as a matter of study, and they wear poppies in November. They might even hear stories of modern veterans like Captain Ashley Collette, an infantry officer with the Royal Canadian Regiment, who received the Medal of Military Valour for her leadership under fire and her performance in combat. That was critical to defeating the enemy attempts to reoccupy a key village in Afghanistan.

But how will many of them learn about the other conflicts that Canadians have engaged in since the Second World War, such as the Battle of Medak Pocket? This battle saw our soldiers from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry — 30 years ago in September 1993 — engage in an eight-day battle with Croatian troops.

Speaking about the conflict in the Balkans, one soldier who was there described their experience as follows:

One of the lessons is that civilization is a very thin veneer that can be readily ripped away and in this case, we saw neighbours killing neighbours. It was very, very sad to see.

But it speaks to the naivety that we have here in our country. We should be thankful for what we have. Canada is so secure and insular.

Colleagues, Canada’s security comes at a price. That price is paid directly by those who serve and have served. It also has a long-lasting impact on their families, loved ones and the communities that support them. All of us need to remember that.

Senators, this is my first Remembrance Day since my retirement from the Canadian Armed Forces. I invite all of you to reflect upon the moral imperative of the decisions that we, as senators, make about security and defence — which is paid for in blood by those Canadians who serve, and have served, this great country.

As we approach November 11, I will reflect upon those who served and came home — many with permanent wounds of service, both visible and invisible. I will remember our fallen who did not come home. I will never forget. We must never forget.

[Translation]

We will remember them. Thank you.

[English]