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The Citadelle, Quebec, Saturday, September 23, 2006
It is both an honour and a privilege for me to present this new stand of colours to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal 22e Régiment. I know that you have been eagerly anticipating this moment and that these colours are tremendously important to you. Traditionally, they represented a rallying point for army regiments along the battle line.
Today, they symbolize the spirit of solidarity that unites the members of your regiment.
Over the past year, as commander‑in‑chief of the Canadian Forces, I have had the opportunity to witness your pride and dedication.
I would also like to add that as a Francophone, I am just as proud of the vital role that your regiment has played in advancing the role of Francophones and their language in the Canadian Forces.
For indeed it was a Van Doo, the first Francophone general in the Canadian Forces, General Jean-Victor Allard, who created several Francophone units, including the 5e Groupe-Brigade mécanisé du Canada.
Over the years, whether in Haiti under the UN flag, in the Montreal and Montérégie regions during the ice storm, in East Timor as part of a multinational force, in Bosnia- Herzegovina with the NATO Stabilization Force or, more recently, in Afghanistan, you have remained steadfast in your efforts to fight injustice and oppression. I respect that commitment.
But my heart still aches every time any of you head to the troubled areas of the world. I cannot help but think of your families, friends and loved ones who worry in your absence or who have to manage without you while you are on training. What helps them to get through, no doubt, is the tremendous respect they have for the choice you have made.
This very afternoon, a ceremony will be taking place in Trenton as the bodies of the four soldiers who recently lost their lives in Afghanistan are repatriated. Please stand so that we may now observe a minute of silence in their honour.
(silence)
I know that some forty members of your regiment are currently engaged in military operations alongside Afghan forces. Many more are preparing to join them this fall. I think of them and of the spirit of solidarity that lifts them in their efforts to ensure that a people attain their freedom, that children reach their full potential without barriers, that women have a right to education and health, that human beings at long last speak up without fear of threat.
I have no doubt that it is the same spirit in which many of you are preparing to join our troops later this fall to take part in Task Force 03-07.
I hope that through today’s ceremony, I can fully express the respect that all Canadians have for the work you do each and every day and for the sacrifices you make in the name of freedom and equality. You are never far from my thoughts, and I carry you always in my heart.
Je me souviens.