Never forget their sacrifices

It is the week of Remembrance Day, so I hope you will join me in honouring the sacrifices that have been, are, and will be made by the men and women of our armed forces and their families in defence of our nation, our values, and our rights.
Throughout our proud history, more than 1.5 million Canadians have served in the armed forces, and more than 100,000 men and women have lost their lives in military conflicts or in carrying out other duties related to their service.
While remembering the sacrifices of our service personnel, we also must remember the sacrifices made by their families. The loss of loved ones, and physical and mental injury sustained by service personnel, are heavy burdens military families carry long after missions end and we are thankful for their sacrifices, as well.
I was able to hear from many troops and family members in February at the opening of the Military Family Resource Centre in Thunder Bay, and I can assure you they are special people who deserve our respect, admiration, and thanks.
I am certain all parliamentarians will be honouring the sacrifices of our armed forces this Remembrance Day. For our part, the New Democratic Party caucus does our best to protect and honour our vets and service personnel year-round.
Our members have several important bills that currently are before parliament, such as Peter Stoffer’s C-201, which would end the unfair clawbacks of the disability and service pensions for armed forces personnel.
In closing, I hope you will join me today—and every day—in remembering the sacrifices of our armed forces personnel and their families as we enjoy the freedom and exercise the rights they have defended for so long and with such distinction.
Lest we forget.