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PM attends unveiling of memorial for fallen RCMP officers
4 July 2008
Mayerthorpe, Alberta
PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYThank you very much.
Thank you for that warm welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Rob, for that kind introduction and thank you both to Rob and also to my colleague Stockwell Day, who I know is here today, for everything you’ve done to help make this day happen. Thank you to Jurgen, to Margaret, to Jackie Rae, all the members of the Fallen Four Society for all the work you have done to bring this into being and for inviting me here today.
Greetings to Premier Stelmach as well as to MLAs Lindsay and Vanderburg, as well as to mayors McDermott and Thane. Welcome to Deputy Commissioner Sweeney and to officers from across the country.
I would like to welcome all members of the RCMP and of the law enforcement community.
And greetings to the families and friends of Constables Schiemann, Gordon, Johnston and Myrol. Let me begin by again expressing my sincerest condolences for the loss of your loved ones. There have been few more heart-wrenching moments in my experience in Canadian public life than when we lost these four fine young men. On that terrible day in March three years ago, our entire nation joined with you in sorrow, and although we can never know the depths of your pain, Canadians were deeply horrified by the murders of your sons and grandsons, husbands and fathers, brothers and best friends. It was not just the sheer scale of the tragedy or the loss of such good people or the cold-blooded malevolence of the crime. It was also the setting: a peaceful, rural, close-knit community, where honest, hardworking, law-abiding people build strong families and close relationships with their neighbours. In this it was a monstrous insult to all that is good and decent in the Canadian way of life, the kind of thing that happens to other people in other places, but not here, not in Canada, not in Alberta, and certainly not in a quiet, hospitable place like Mayerthorpe. Other people in other places might have exploded in rage or sunk into despair, but not Mayerthorpe. Everyone associated with this terrible event has conducted themselves with grace, dignity and purpose. Your courage and resiliency have been an inspiration to all Canadians, and they are embodied in your magnificent tribute to the memory of these four brave men that we have unveiled here today.
This memorial park will be many things to many people. It will be a place where family and friends of the Fallen Four can come to mourn their loved ones. It can be a place where children can learn important lessons about duty and sacrifice, and it will be a place where all of us can fortify our determination to fight against violent crime in this country. Constables Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon, Leo Johnston and Brock Myrol did not die in vain. They died in the line of duty, their duty to uphold the rule of law, that vital companion of democracy that protects free, civilized and good societies from violence, anarchy and evil. At this moment, in communities large and small across Canada, thousands of men and women in uniform are quietly going about their work, patrolling our streets and protecting our communities. They have one of the toughest jobs there is. It is difficult, dangerous and sometimes deadly work.
Today is a day to pay tribute to four heroes who gave their lives in the service of their fellow citizens, and a day to remember all those police who have fallen in the line of duty. But it is also a day to honour every officer from coast to coast who is continuing their work. We must never take them for granted, never forget their purpose and never let them down. So let us resolve that the Mayerthorpe Memorial be not only a tribute to those who died doing their duty for us, but also an eternal reminder of our duty to those who are carrying on. Thank you.
