Athabasca, Alberta - Thank you. 

MLA Johnson, Minister Blackett, Honourable Member Hawn, Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m extremely honoured to be here today in support of our Canadian Armed Forces and their families. 

As some of you may know, my father served with our Canadian Forces in WWII and my son is now proud to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.

I appreciate first-hand the enormous sacrifice, commitment, and hard work put forth by our military men and women and their families. 

For this, I say Thank You.

And on the eve of Canada Day, this is indeed a great time to give thanks and honour our troops as our Canada Day celebrations give us all a chance to take a step back and feel proud about our country and how far we have come.

Today Canada is more unified than it has been for 40 years.

Our economy is proving resilient in a time of global economic uncertainty.

Our Canadian Forces are being rebuilt and they are regaining pride of place in the public eye.

Our country is standing proud and once again we are a major player on the world stage.

Our progress in just a few years gives us reason to be proud and people around the world are noticing.  Not only are we helping to rebuild Afghanistan, we are also leading international efforts to protect human rights around the globe. It is clear that today that when Canadians speak, other countries are listening.

I am very proud of the role that our Canadian Forces play in making this a reality.  We should all feel proud to call ourselves Canadian. 

And now I`d like to introduce my esteemed colleague, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence the Honourable Laurie Hawn.