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Decentralized Democracy

President of the Treasury Board

Hon. Anita Anand

  • Member of Parliament
  • President of the Treasury Board
  • Liberal
  • Oakville
  • Ontario
  • Voting Attendance: 61%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $137,107.74

  • Government Page
Context: House Hansard - 123 - Nov/2/22
Hon. Anita Anand (Minister of National Defence, Lib.)
  • Nov/2/22 4:04:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise on behalf of the hon. Minister of Veterans Affairs to pay tribute to all the Canadians who have so selflessly served our country in uniform. When I was a little girl growing up in Kentville, Nova Scotia, where I was born, our province and town were steeped in military history. The history was palpable in our schools, on our class trips and at public gatherings. I remember visiting Historic Properties, the jetty in Halifax Harbour and Camp Aldershot, which is in Kentville. Veterans' Week begins Friday. In the days leading up to Remembrance Day on November 11, Canadians across the country will pay tribute to those who have done so much to preserve our peace and security. We must remember that this year we mark the 105th anniversaries of the battles of Passchendaele and Vimy Ridge. We will also be commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe raid. We mark the 30th anniversary of the United Nations protection force in the former Yugoslavia, and 25 years since 8,500 Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed to Manitoba in Operation Assistance. We are truly so fortunate to live here and to have the opportunity to represent our ridings and our constituents in Ottawa as democratically elected members of Parliament. However, we must not forget that this privilege was born of the service and the sacrifice of those who came before us. This peaceful, democratic country of ours was built by thousands of people who went off to war and never came back, and by those who returned but were never the same. It has since been protected by every new generation of Canadian Armed Forces personnel, who so willingly and so selflessly assume the risks and responsibilities of military life. The Canada of today exists because between 1914 and 1918, more than 650,000 men and women volunteered to serve, knowing full well that crossing the Atlantic could mean never coming back to their families, their mothers, their fathers, their communities and their loved ones. The Canada of today exists because, for six long years from 1939 to 1945, our people once again answered the call, this time to help defeat Nazi Germany in Europe. It exists because Canadians fought so valiantly for peace and democracy in the Korean War. It exists because of their service in the Middle East and Afghanistan. It exists because they have been instrumental in restoring and maintaining order and security as gatekeepers and peacekeepers. It exists because they have always been there for the people of this country, never hesitating to go anywhere in the world to help Canadians overcome difficult situations. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have given their lives in service of this nation, and we are forever indebted to them and their families. I ask our veterans and the members of our armed forces, on behalf of the Government of Canada, to please accept our profound gratitude for their service and sacrifice. In our schools, our towns and our cities across this great country, from Kentville to Kamloops to Cambridge Bay, lest we forget.
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