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PM honours troops with Sacrifice Medal
9 November 2009
Ottawa, Ontario
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYYour Excellency, honoured veterans and loved ones, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we gather to acknowledge the eternal debt that Canadians owe to those who have served and sacrificed for Canada. Bestowed in the name of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, the newly created Sacrifice Medal pays tribute to those Canadians who have given so much, in the name of our country.
Fittingly, the medal depicts the Mother Canada who stands at the Vimy Ridge memorial in France. There, on that windswept green, the sorrowful figure eternally mourns her fallen children. She is reminiscent of the Stabat mater:
"At the Cross, her station keeping, [stands] the mournful Mother weeping."
In reflecting upon the great sacrifices made by Canadians throughout the ages, I myself have never been able to put the depth of my feelings into adequate words. These are the extraordinary acts of people devoted to their fellow human beings and to their country.
In all of our military history, Canada has never gone looking for a fight. But we have always answered the call, when that call was just. Whether it be repelling the invaders at Queenston Heights, storming Vimy Ridge, taking Juno Beach on D-Day, saving Seoul at the battle of Kap’yong, staring down the Soviets in the Cold War, peacekeeping missions in numerous countries, or taking on terrorists in Afghanistan – time and again, Canadians have proven themselves among the bravest, most skilled and most successful soldiers, sailors and airmen and women on earth.
It is most fitting that this inaugural Sacrifice Medal ceremony is taking place today, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The values and way of life that triumphed on this day in 1989 are the same our troops have fought and died for throughout our proud military history: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
I scarcely need to remind the people in this room that these are no mere abstractions. These are the very foundations upon which our lives of peace and prosperity are built. And it is only when these values are in peril, when we have to defend them, that we can truly understand their worth.
In conclusion, on behalf of the Government of Canada, and indeed, all Canadians, I want to thank each and every one of today’s recipients, as well as their families and loved ones. Thank you for bringing light and hope to people who have long known only darkness and despair. Thank you for giving so much of yourself, perhaps even more than you thought you had to give, in the service of your fellow human beings. And most of all, thank you for nobly upholding Canada’s proud tradition of courage and sacrifice no matter what the odds.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the soldiers’ legacy to us: A country to believe in; a country to inspire; a country to love.
God bless all of you and God bless Canada.
