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Every year, on Remembrance Day, we pause to honour the sacrifice, the courage and the extraordinary service of our veterans. We pause to say thank you, for what they have done for our country and for what they still do.

It’s been 75 years since the end of the Second World War. Our veterans won many battles at great sacrifice. Over 43 000 Canadians died. Many more came home wounded and carrying psychological scars from years of conflict, something that wasn’t talked about much at the time.

I’m happy that I made it through what I went through, because I left many behind, especially at Caen. We lost so many friends and think of them often.

 We remained friends for life. We were family. I attended every one of their funerals, from New Brunswick to Vancouver. We got to know their families, and they got to know ours.

I discovered then that we are all the same. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. We laugh over the same things. We cry over the same things.

It is something that you get used to, your friends dying and your acquaintances getting killed in some way very horribly.

I was only 17 when I enlisted. I passed for 19. At 17, you don’t think about the danger. You don’t think about much.

We had 20 tonnes of explosives in the plane. Our plane was hit, then went up in flames. That’s where I lost my leg. I always did my best in the moment, making decisions. It’s all you can do.

I was acting platoon commander. So I was just a kid myself, really. All of a sudden, I look around, and there’s all these little kids, that had been hidden for years because if the Germans had found them, they would have punished them. But to look around and all these smiling kids, it was one of the best days of the war for me.

We’re called the Caring Canadians. I think that’s a wonderful legacy to have. I have found it to be so true.

Sometimes I was so frightened I could hardly see, sometimes. I don’t know what courage is, really. It’s being scared. Being scared, and yet doing your job, even when you’re afraid.

We didn’t think about being heroes. It was a bit of an adventure.

We’re fortunate to be Canadians. And I don’t think that we realize it. We take it for granted.

Best country in the world. It’s worth doing everything we can to protect it.

So over the years, we have told our story, and I think Canada does very well in commemorating the World War II. And I never miss a Remembrance Day service, and I always march.

We remember them.

Today and always. 

Greetings to all of you, people of Canada, from coast to coast to coast.

In respect for the past, the present and the future, and in the spirit of reconciliation, I acknowledge our presence on the ancestral territories of the First Nations, the Métis and the Inuit peoples. 

The holiday season is a time to get together.

But this year, everything is different. 

No one could imagine what 2020 would bring.

We cannot choose when hardship comes, but we can choose how we respond to it.

Canadians have risen to this challenge in remarkable ways.

Even when times are hard, one can always find something positive.

It is important to look for it.

On the very front line are the health and essential workers, the leaders and the members of the Canadian Forces who have kept our society going.

We owe them a debt of gratitude.

To recognize this resilience, and to turn the page firmly toward 2021, I have asked the Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners across the country to share their thoughts and their hopes for the year to come.  

(Manitoba - Her Honour the Honourable Janice Filmon) 

In 2020, I'm grateful for the world having learned that it could care again, it could love.

It took a worldwide pandemic for this to become alive again.

(Ontario - Her Honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell)

In 2020, I saw the best of humanity, with courage, compassion and creativity,

Ontarians cared for each other.

(Quebec - His Honour the Honourable Michel Doyon)

I wish to recognize all those who have devoted themselves to us all throughout the year.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

(Yukon - The Honourable Angélique Bernard)

I would like to thank Yukoners for their resiliency and creativity in 2020, and I am wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2021.

(Prince Edward Island - Her Honour the Honourable Antoinette Perry)

I am truly grateful for gestures of goodwill, kindness and generosity shown during the past challenging year.

(Saskatchewan - His Honour the Honourable Russ Mirasty)

In the coming year, I'm looking forward to a time where we can once again visit communities to meet the remarkable people of our province.

(New Brunswick - Her Honour the Honourable Brenda Murphy)

In 2021, I look forward to greeting people with warmth and humanity, and to see what our society can do with the lessons we've learned during the pandemic.

(Nunavut - Arviat Citizen Joe Karetak)

Start to see some normalcy and speedy recovery from this pandemic.

(Alberta - Her Honour the Honourable Salma Lakhani)

A vaccine and the opportunity to be able to travel and meet fellow Albertans.

(Newfoundland and Labrador - Her Honour the Honourable Judy Foote)

The kindness we have shown each other throughout the pandemic continues in the future.

(Nova Scotia - Their Honours the Honourable Arthur LeBlanc and Mrs. Rosemary Patricia LeBlanc)

I am confident that Canadians will remain united and steadfast, in their resolve to be kind and generous to those less fortunate.

(British Columbia - Her Honour the Honourable Janet Austin)

We have a chance to make our world better for all of us.

And with some new perspectives and renewed societal values of compassion, generosity, mutual trust and responsibility, we surely will.

To describe 2020:

Courage.

Challenging.

Creativity.

Resiliency.

And gratitude.

The long months of pandemic have forced us to look beyond ourselves, to work hand in hand.

But we are not yet out of the woods, and now more than ever, we must stay vigilant, continue to look out for each other, and remain patient.

Thanks to science and the arrival of vaccines, there is now a light shining at the end of the tunnel.

Soon we will meet again.

Take care of yourself and of your family. 

Have a thought for those who are isolated, lend a virtual hand when and where you can. 

And keep a light on, at home and in your heart, as we wait for better days to return.

Happy New Year, Canada.

Dear fellow citizens,

The past months have been dark and difficult, and we all know that it is not yet over. I appeal to your sense of duty today. Now is the time to show our strength as a nation, to remain steadfast and to stay united in our solidarity. 

Safe and efficient vaccines are now available, and there is a light shining at the end of the tunnel. But the pandemic is still raging right now and it will take time to immunize everyone. 

The priority goes to health care personnel, to the essential workers who keep our society going, to the elderly and most at-risk populations, and to people living in remote areas, particularly Indigenous communities. We must remain patient while the vaccines are distributed in an orderly fashion. 

In the meantime, it is of the utmost importance that we all stay vigilant and adhere strictly to the advice of our public health officials.

We owe this to the front-line workers who have been fighting this virus selflessly for 10 long months. We owe it to our seniors, and to the families of those who have passed. We owe it to our loved ones, and to the loved ones of our friends and colleagues. 

Like you, I have had to adapt to these unprecedented circumstances. As a scientist, I take epidemic outbreaks very seriously, and that is why we closed Rideau Hall at the outset of the pandemic to ensure the safety of our staff and the health of our visitors. 

Like you, I have strictly minimized contacts other than through digital means. In fact, besides the duties that require my presence—such as granting Royal Assent to bills in Ottawa or paying tribute to fallen members of the Canadian Armed Forces in Halifax and Trenton — my movements have been, and will continue to be, restricted to essential work and to my responsibilities as the mother of a teenager, and as the daughter

and caregiver of elderly parents.

We all need to contribute and to try to make the best out of the situation, even if the public health restrictions are hard. This is not the time to let our guard down. Every single one of us has a role to play in fighting the virus.

And we Canadians have shown that we have this collective resilience. Please, for the good of all, stay home except for necessities and essential work, and minimize your travels and contacts.

We are in this together and we will meet again. Stay put. Stay distanced. Please take care.

Happy New Year!