November 08, 2013

Show You Remember

This past week Canadians have been celebrating Veterans’ Week which leads up to Remembrance Day this Monday, November 11 ^th . It is a time when all Canadians come together to honour those who have sacrificed so much to make our world a safer place. The focus this year is Show You Remember . There are many ways to do that. You can wear a poppy - the Canadian symbol of remembrance - you can make a donation to the poppy fund of your local legion, and you can attend a Remembrance Day service near you. There are 23 services taking place across Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. My wife Barb and I attend many of them, and we rely on individuals from the community to represent us at other services. I thank those individuals very much for their time and commitment.

I’ve compiled a list for you of services you may want to attend in our riding. Remember, many services also have honour guards and the laying of wreaths, so it’s good to arrive a bit early.

Ailsa Craig-November 11 ^th at 11am at the cenotaph

Alvinston-November 11 ^th at 11am at the cenotaph

Arkona-November 9 ^th at 10:30 at the seniors hall/fire hall

Bothwell-November 11 ^th at 11am at the cenotaph

Delaware-November 11 ^th at 10:30 at the cenotaph

Dover Centre-November 10 ^th at 11am

Dresden-November 11 ^th at 10:30 at the Legion

Forest-November 11 ^th at 10:45 at Kimball Hall

Glencoe-November 11 ^th at 10:30 at the cenotaph

Granton-November 9 ^th at 4:15 at the cenotaph

Grand Bend-November 11 ^th at 11am at the legion

Lieury-November 11 ^th at 1pm at the cenotaph

Lucan-November 9 ^th at noon at the cenotaph and November 11 ^th at 10:30 at the arena

Melbourne-November 10 ^th at 10:15 at the legion

Mount Brydges-November 11 ^th at 11am at the cenotaph

Newbury-November 10 ^th at 2:45 at the cenotaph

Parkhill-November 11 ^th and 11am at the cenotaph

Poplar Hill-November 11 ^th at 2pm at the cenotaph

Strathroy-November 10 ^th at 1:30 at town hall AND November 11 ^th at 11am at town hall

Thamesville-November 11 ^th at 11am at the legion

Thedford-November 11 ^th at 11am at the cenotaph

Wallaceburg-November 11 ^th at 11am at the UAW Hall

Watford-November 11 ^th at 11am at the legion

For those unable to attend a service, please pause at 11 a.m. for a moment of silence. Share the story of Remembrance Day with your children and grandchildren so that future generations do not forget what sacrifices were made to ensure we all continue to live in this safe, free country; the home we call Canada.

Pausing for a moment of reflection at the Ilderton Remembrance Day service last weekend

A New Challenge

I am pleased to announce that I have been named Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for Canada. It will be a great challenge, and I look forward to addressing the concerns of farmers right across the country.

Did You Know?

-Our government has created an online veterans benefits browser to help vets and their families get the info they need, whenever and wherever they want. Find out more at www.veterans.gc.ca

-As of March 2013, there were 91,400 Second World War veterans living in Canada. Their average age is 89.

-The Community War Memorial Program has been created to help communities honour and remember Canadian veterans.

Until next time.

Bev Shipley, M.P., Lambton-Kent-Middlesex