October 25, 2022
Check against delivery
Hello,
I’d like to welcome all of you to Rideau Hall, which sits on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people who have lived on and cared for this land for thousands of years.
As governor general and commander-in-chief, I’m honoured to host the launch of the National Poppy Campaign.
Every year, we use this time to honour those who have served our country in uniform, to recognize our veterans who sacrificed so much for our nation, and to remember the fallen—those who never made it home. This year, we mark the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, during which nearly 1 000 Canadians lost their lives and thousands more were captured and injured.
The price of war is and always has been enormous.
We have learned so much as a nation and as a world since that time. Yet, we still have further to go to live peacefully alongside each other.
Conflicts still rage and the members of the Canadian Armed Forces bravely, courageously, face the very worst so that the rest of us do not. And we must also recognize the role they play in Canada, helping in times of great and urgent need.
We can do no less than support our veterans, with their quality of life and with their physical and mental health. That is what the National Poppy Campaign is all about.
There are so many ways to remember—such as the virtual poppy—and so many ways to give.
I’m honoured to receive the first poppy.
Today and every day, I will continue to remember, honour and support our veterans and I will encourage all Canadians to do the same.
Thank you.