Remembrance Day is a time for us to come together as a nation and show our gratitude to the brave Canadian heroes who fought so hard and sacrificed so much so that future generations could live in freedom, security and peace.

There are many ways to honour the men and women who served in the Canadian Armed Forces and who defended our values and way of life. Many communities in Niagara and Hamilton have found creative ways to salute local war veterans.

One example is in Lincoln where the local community came together to dedicate a playground posthumously to Ralph Reid, a veteran of the Second World War and a former alderman for the Town of Lincoln. Ralph, a pilot in the Royal Canadian Airforce, flew 38 missions in a Lancaster bomber between 1943 and 1945. Ralph would go on to become an active member the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 612 Beamsville and would go to schools and talk to young students about Remembrance Day. The playground today serves as a touching tribute Ralph and the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen who served with him to protect our country during a very dark time.

Other example is in Pelham where, last year on Remembrance Day, I was honoured to participate in the dedication ceremony of the new Pelham Veterans Park. The result of another remarkable community fundraising effort, bricks bearing the names of veterans along with their rank and branch of the forces line the pathways and other areas of the park. Companies and individuals also purchased bricks to cover the cost of building and maintaining the park. The brick program was so popular, in fact, that it continued after the official dedication and will finally wrap up with this year’s Remembrance Day ceremony.

Every single community has their own stories and their own heroes. And every single day should, in its own way, be a Remembrance Day all its own. We should never lose sight of how much our veterans sacrificed so that their children and grandchildren could know a better life.

The debt we owe our veterans must always be honoured but can never be fully repaid. On one day every year we pause to say ‘thank you’ for all that they have done for us, and pause to remember their comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice and never returned home.

That is why what is most encouraging to me, is how many young families and children continue to participate in Remembrance Day. Our veterans did their part; it is now up to the rest of us to learn the lessons of history and honour their sacrifice by never taking for granted the values for which they fought.

To all our veterans – ‘Thank you’

Lest we forget.