Juno News - November 11, 2018


100 Years - Lest We Forget


Episode Stats

Length

2 minutes

Words per Minute

171.44061

Word Count

407

Sentence Count

15


Summary

100 years since the end of World War I, the Great War, and the one, of course, that was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Remembrance Day 2018 is the most significant of my generation in many respects, yet a survey of Canadians found that just 56% knew why this was so unique compared to that of 2019 or that of 2017.


Transcript

00:00:00.520 100 years since the end of World War I, the Great War, and the one, of course, that was supposed to be the war to end all wars.
00:00:09.020 Remembrance Day 2018 is the most significant of my generation in many respects.
00:00:14.700 Yet a survey of Canadians found that just 56% knew why 2018's Remembrance Day was so unique compared to that of 2019 or that of 2017.
00:00:25.680 But even so, while much of me wants to lament the state of historic knowledge and understanding in Canada,
00:00:34.020 the lack of keen awareness to what it is that we actually honour today speaks to the sacrifice of the war dead in Canada's history.
00:00:42.440 These people died, put their own lives on the line so that Canadians today don't need to worry about war,
00:00:49.440 so that Canadians today don't need to think about it.
00:00:52.080 But we can never forget, we can never grow complacent, and we can never allow these sacrifices to be made in vain.
00:01:01.000 And that's why on this Remembrance Day, the words, lest we forget, so often said, but how often are they really understood or thought about,
00:01:10.360 are ones that I want to highlight.
00:01:12.260 Lest we forget is meant to really encapsulate that idea that we should never get to a point in our lives,
00:01:18.580 in our countries, where we can move past looking at the significance of the war dead and the impact they've made,
00:01:24.660 not just in World War I, but all conflicts where Canadian soldiers have shed blood.
00:01:29.500 World War I, World War II, Korea, even the Vietnam War,
00:01:33.580 when a great many Canadians went and fought alongside our American neighbours and friends.
00:01:38.020 And on this Remembrance Day, it's not just about veterans, it's not just about celebrating the military,
00:01:44.400 or commemorating those who have had bravery and valour and courage,
00:01:48.740 it's specifically about the ultimate sacrifice.
00:01:52.480 And that's something that we don't have a lot of in today's parlance,
00:01:55.700 because we don't have a lot of these situations in Canada, and we can thank God for that,
00:02:00.200 where that ultimate sacrifice is needed.
00:02:02.220 People putting their lives on the line for their God and their country,
00:02:06.200 so that my future, their children's future, their grandchildren's future,
00:02:11.460 is one that could have a lot more certainty than their own did.
00:02:15.360 And that's what we remember on this Remembrance Day.
00:02:17.680 That's what I remember on this Remembrance Day.
00:02:20.500 100 years, lest we forget.