I have never had more conversations about the Canadian military than I have in the past weeks.
The recent murders of Cpl. Nathan Cirlillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, along with the training death of Private Steven Allen have rung an extra somber note on this week’s Remembrance Day ceremonies. But they have also cast a deserving spotlight on the women and men who have and continue to serve our country.
I was in Hamilton on the weekend and it was impossible not to think of Cpl. Cirlillo and the mourning in that community. The mother of one of my young Peewee football players who took him to see Cpl. Cirlillo’s gravesite inspired me. It made me hope that perhaps these tragedies will help our next generations understand the sacrifices made in the Great War, that marked it’s 100th anniversary this week, and in subsequent global and regional conflicts.
Perhaps these tragedies will provide the political will to ensure we invest more in our services. I hope we never become the military-industrial complex of our southern neighbours, but decades of endless federal government budget cuts to our defence spending are putting our men and women at needless risk. These men and women, and those before them, are willing to sacrifice their way of life, and potentially even living, so we can live in a country like Canada.
Do we want to continue to be a country that fights terrorism or one that is strangled by terrorism? Do we want to be a country where rights and freedoms for all its inhabitants is paramount, or one with ethnic wars and where schoolgirls are sold into slavery? Do we want to live in a country where we can respond to natural disasters or one where we are a natural disaster?
As Canadians we need to do more than remember. We need to speak up. We need to educate our leaders. We need to educate our young. We need to educate ourselves.
Let’s inspire more bright women and men to serve. Let’s support them with our respect and our wallets. Let’s keep Canada Canada.
Let’s remember the smile of Cpl. Nathan Cirlillo. Let’s remember the photo of his dogs waiting for their master to come home. Let’s remember the funeral day pictures of his young son, handsomely sporting a regimental hat.
Let all of us remember that the sacrifice of his Dad for you, me, and our families means that this young man will grow up without the greatest hero a son can have.
A father.