Order of Military Merit Investiture Ceremony

Rideau Hall, Friday, January 30, 2009

Welcome to Rideau Hall, where we have gathered to recognize the exceptional service performed by 56 men and women who have chosen to don the uniform and who have had a distinguished career in the Forces.

As commander-in-chief and governor general of Canada, it is my privilege to work every day alongside members of every rank and stripe of the Canadian Forces.

I have also had the opportunity to see them at work abroad.

Two weeks ago, I was on a working visit to Haiti—the island of my birth—an island struggling with endemic poverty, made worse by an unprecedented food crisis; an island ravaged by four hurricanes in less than four weeks last fall.

While in Haiti, I met with dedicated Canadian service women and men who are carrying out an essential task, in often dangerous and difficult conditions, working alongside the people of Haiti and humanitarian workers and as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.   

Everywhere that I have been since my installation as governor general—from Haiti to Camp Mirage; from Kandahar to HMCS Iroquois in Casablanca to military bases right here in Canada—I have listened to our soldiers as they describe their life in the Forces.

They have all told me the same thing, in almost the same words: “I want to change things; I want to make a difference.”

In the name of justice, peace, stability, security, you put in an extraordinary effort. You overcome every difficulty, face every challenge, with determination, courage, conviction, ingenuity and a sense of duty deserving of admiration.

Your dedication requires you to sacrifice a tremendous amount of time away from those you love.

Some of you put your very lives on the line, taking risks we cannot even begin to imagine, removed as we are from the international conflicts that trouble our extended family of nations.

I know just what it costs you to make a career in the Forces.

I know the kind of pressure some of you face, when it falls to you to decide, to lead, to command.

It is a task that cannot be taken lightly and that requires you to serve as a role model to others, to put the interests of others above your own.

We owe you a debt of gratitude, to you and to your families who stand beside you.

I can only imagine the self-sacrifice and love it takes for them to support you, come what may.

To say nothing of the repeated absences, often over extended periods of time. And what of the homecomings? Because life after a mission—reintegrating into daily life, starting to live as a couple or as a family again—is rarely easy for the returning soldier or the family.

And yet, your life partner, your children, your parents and your loved ones make these sacrifices for you because they respect the choice you have made and are so proud of you.

And they make these sacrifices for their country and in the name of an ideal of justice and freedom.

I understand the magnitude of your sacrifices, knowing that Canadian soldiers have lost their lives now that Canada is once again faced with the harsh and painful reality of an armed conflict. I have stood alongside grieving families on the tarmac, when the bodies of our fallen soldiers are repatriated.

Each time is a heart-wrenching experience, a painful ordeal for all of us.

I cannot help but think of them today and of the wounded, whom we hear so little, if anything, about.

Thanks to you, Canada is making a vital contribution to the world, from providing emergency assistance to devastated populations to rebuilding and maintaining peace in the world’s “hot spots.”

Thanks to you, Canada is able to protect its coastlines and its borders. Thanks to you, Canada is able to stave off any threat against us and against the freedom so abundant in our country.

On behalf of all Canadians, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

As commander-in-chief, I am proud of what you are doing and delighted to invest you today into the Order of Military Merit.