Freedom Party Statement on Rembrance Day

Oshawa, Ontario, Nov. 11, 2004 - Freedom Party Leader Paul McKeever today issued the following statement regarding Canada's military men and women, and Remembrance Day.

"On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we pause to remember those who have participated in military action to deny the food of good to the hunger of evil. We take conspicuous notice of the efforts of all who have diligently and uncompromisingly made the moral decision to defend militarily the political freedom of every individual.

"Many have died in military efforts to defend freedom, but we do not pause to remember their deaths on this anniversary. Rather, we pause to recognize the depth of their commitment to the defence of freedom, and to understand that such commitment was founded upon their deep love of life. Those who died fighting, and also those who survived, were committed to the moral cause of fighting until freedom was safe from threat. That is admirable. Their commitment was not mitigated by a fear of death. That is even more admirable.

"Some have said that our military makes us proud, but those of us who have taken no part in the military defence of our own freedom have no claim to pride. Pride is something that one can take only in ones own accomplishments and, with respect to the efforts of our military, pride is rightly felt only by those who have engaged in those efforts. The rest of us can, and do, feel not pride, but deep admiration: deep admiration for men and women who have committed themselves so totally to a moral cause.

"I believe that political freedom is the natural state of humankind. Freedom is not earned, any more than life is earned. Freedom must, however, be defended. In the defence of freedom, our soldiers have fought successfully to defeat dehumanizing communism, fascism and Naziism. For that, we thank them.

"However, the defence of our freedom is not a gift. But for the efforts of our military, we would not have the degree of freedom that we have today. We who benefit from the freedom preserved by our military men and women, past and present, owe a great debt. We owe a debt of respect and gratitude, but we owe more to our soldiers than a simple thank-you uttered once per year. We owe, also, a promise and an ongoing effort to preserve the freedom that has been so ably defended from military threats, at great personal cost.

"On behalf of the members and supporters of the Freedom Party of Canada and the Freedom Party of Ontario, I say to those in the military who defend freedom and who have defended it in the past, thank-you for your admirable accomplishments in the defence of life and freedom. We promise not to take our lives and our freedom for granted, and we promise our ongoing dedication to the political freedom that you have paid so dearly to defend.