Owen Sound, Ontario, Friday, May 20, 2016

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It’s a pleasure to join you here for this presentation of colours to the Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regiment.

This is also a celebration of your regiment’s 150th anniversary, which means that this regiment is one year older than Canada itself!

Think of all the history that’s behind this regiment. Of the stories that could be told—tales of bravery and duty and honour.

The foresters, in fact, can trace a link back to a mythic folk hero, Robin Hood, and his band of Merry Men in Sherwood Forest—your badge is even styled on that of British allied regiment, the Sherwood Foresters.

You don’t rob from the rich and give to the poor, but you do have a strong sense of right and wrong. It’s your moral compass that guides you throughout your careers.

And of course it’s that moral compass guides us during trying times.

The devastating wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, for instance, united members of the Forces in common cause to help people in that region.

Throughout Canada and around the world, there are examples of Canadian soldiers answering the call to service, just as you have done.

The colours we present today boldly represent your desire to serve. They symbolize your honour and your sense of duty to Canada and to a fairer, more just world. This sense of duty has led you—and your families and loved ones—to accept the demands of service: the long hours, the difficult and demanding training regimen, and the constant need for flexibility and self-discipline.

Under these colours, officers will serve and learn from their comrades in arms, gaining knowledge that will follow them throughout their careers, informing everything that they do.

Every soldier enlists eager to fulfill their duty with the Canadian Armed Forces. Their devotion is an example to us all.

And so it is with great pride and confidence that I present these colours to the Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regiment.

May they long be a symbol of the depth of Canada’s commitment to the common good.