Hello everyone.

On Remembrance Day, we honour the brave Canadians in uniform who serve and defend our country – both today and throughout history.

We pay tribute to our veterans, to those who have been injured, and to all of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, peace, and democracy.

And we honour their family members – parents, siblings, children, and spouses – who have given up time with their loved ones, in the name of country.

Generation after generation, we owe a great debt to these women and men for their unwavering bravery throughout Canada’s history.

This year, we also mark the 75th anniversary since the end of the Second World War.

From the outbreak of war in 1939 to the allied victory in ‘45, more than one million Canadians served in our country’s armed forces.

From coast to coast to coast, our country mobilized not only to defeat the forces of fascism, authoritarianism, and oppression,

but to build a better world.

And seventy-five years later, we still owe so much to those who helped make our country more prosperous, secure, and free.

We walk in their footsteps as we tackle the challenges of today – a new and different type of battle in the form of COVID-19.

And through it, all Canadians and our Canadian Armed Forces have continued to answer the call.

In the form of helping our most vulnerable, they once again put their lives in harm’s way for others.

So every November, to show our gratitude and respect for their courage, we hold them close to our hearts in the form of a poppy.

And we honour them in silence – as a sombre acknowledgement of the depth of their sacrifice.

For those who were lost, both today and yesterday.

Lest we forget.