Statement by New Democrat leader Jack Layton on Remembrance Day

On Remembrance Day, we honour the Canadian soldiers, nurses and others who served in two world wars, in Korea, and in peace-keeping missions across the globe with courage and convention. And as fighting intensifies once more in Afghanistan, our hearts and hopes are with those brave men and women who serve there still.

We pay tribute not only to the 100,000 Canadians who gave their lives on distant shores, but to the veterans who returned scarred by war and strengthened by the courage of those with whom they served. And we recognise, too, the sacrifice of so many military families for whom wars and unrest far away are always close to home.

On this Remembrance Day, I am reminded, too, of the service of more than 7,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and the 500 who gave their lives. Sadly and inexcusably, many of these veterans were marginalized, never receiving the services and benefits provided to non-Aboriginal veterans.

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.