Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day

By Rathika Sitsabaiesan

We pay tribute and give thanks to those who have served and who continue to serve, whether they are on the ground, or at home raising families on their own.

We give thanks to those who gave their lives on distant shores, to the veterans who returned scarred by war and were strengthened by the courage of those with whom they served. And we recognize, too, the sacrifice of so many military families for whom wars and unrest far away are always close to home.

The highest honour we can give the women and men who gave so much is to build a future of peace. We must continue to fight injustice, but also build a more just world. Remembrance is what binds us to our history and sets our course towards that better tomorrow.

During this month of remembrance and reflection, we also remember those who have lived in conflict zones. These people, often not by choice, have experienced some of the worst atrocities known to humanity. These people have witnessed friends, neighbours, family members, and loved ones killed, murdered, and wounded both physically and psychologically. These memories will be with them forever.

This year as we honour the sacrifice and service of our men and women, let us hope for a more peaceful future.
Let us focus together on ending wars and conflicts across the globe and on building true, sustainable peace across the globe.

Let us focus on building bridges rather than creating chasms; on learning about and appreciating other cultures, rather than ignorance and hate; on being hopeful and optimistic, rather than fearful and glum.

Together, we have the tools. Together we have the ability to learn, to appreciate, to move forward without armed conflict and war. Together, we can build a peaceful world.

This togetherness is not only global, but it starts here. It starts in our homes and our communities. It starts here in Scarborough-Rouge River as we work together to build a stronger, healthier, happier community. It starts here in our home community as we appreciate the ethno-cultural diversity in our own area and interact with these different cultures and traditions, learning about them.

This is not impossible. If enough people focus and work towards building peace, it will be felt. It can be accomplished.

As we stop to remember on November 11th, and throughout the month of November, I invite you all to remember the words left to us by the late Jack Layton, “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

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Rathika Sitsabaiesan, MP for Scarborough-Rouge River