On July 27th I had the privilege of representing the government of Canada at a ceremony commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.

The ceremony was quite touching. Three veterans described their roles in the Korean War. They spoke of their experiences, the dangers, and the battles of the Korean War. A choir from the Korean Church in Saskatoon sang hymns of remembrance and thanksgiving.  A young Korean-Canadian girl gave a short overview of Korea.

The Korean War and Canada’s contribution to it is something that I feel that we as Canadians too often overlook. We as Canadians have a strong tradition of standing up for freedom around the world. In Korea, Canada did not hesitate to fight against communism and tyranny; we were at the forefront of the battle.

The veterans who went to Korea did not only protect the freedom of the Korean people. In a very real sense they fought to protect our freedom also. This is something we need to remember and I believe we need to honour and remember the Korean War veterans for their sacrifices more than we currently do.  They should not remain the forgotten war. They should not remain the forgotten heroes.

This will be my last column until Parliament resumes in the fall and when it does I will have plenty of new information to share with you.
Have a great August.