A dinner was held this past week at the Steinbach Legion to honour our veterans and to remember this year as the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation during the Second World War and Canada’s significant role in that effort.
Veterans who were able to attend the dinner were thanked for their service to our country and it was an important reminder of the role that Canada has played in the world. There were memories shared of how the liberation of the Netherlands impacted its citizens and the special relationship that continues to exist today between Canada and the Netherlands.
It’s true to say that the Dutch have never forgotten the sacrifice that Canadians made for their freedom. It is estimated that 7,600 Canadians died in the liberation effort. Every year, that sacrifice is honoured in the Netherlands. That gratitude is shown here in Canada as well. In fact, the annual Tulip Festival in Ottawa began as a result of a gift of thousands of tulip bulbs from the Netherlands as a symbol of thanks. And as was mentioned at the veteran’s dinner, it is sometimes easier for those who have benefited directly from the efforts of our Canadian Armed Forces to fully appreciate their sacrifices than it is for anyone else.
But for each of us there is an opportunity to honour that sacrifice by remembering and by ensuring that the next generation of Canadians, our children and or grandchildren, remember it as well.
I’d like to thank Steinbach Legion President Bill Richards for inviting my wife Kim and I to attend and participate in the veterans dinner. It was an honour to be able to pay tribute to all our veterans and to reflect on the anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands and Canada’s important role in ensuring its freedom.
