Speech by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
65th anniversary of the Normandy landings
Colleville-sur-Mer American Military Cemetery – 6 June 2009
Barack Obama, Prince Charles, Gordon Brown, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Nicolas Sarkozy at the cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.
Photo: Official White House.
Stephen Harper : “Good afternoon,
President Sarkozy, our host, Prime Minister Brown, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, President Obama, veterans, fellow parliamentarians, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
We are on hallowed ground. Today, all is calm, peaceful and serene, but on this same day, exactly sixty-five years ago, this fifty-mile stretch of coastline was the scene of the greatest invasion in the history of mankind.
The Allied troops from our four great nations who crossed the English Channel to launch the liberation of Europe and save civilisation from Nazi horror had no doubt about their mission or their duty. As Captain Jack Fawcett of the 1st Canadian Battalion of the Scottish Regiment said, ‘We were so determined to get to the beach that even if the engines had stopped or broken down, our sheer willpower would have propelled the boat ashore.’
The unwavering determination of the soldiers, the meticulous planning of their commanders and the steadfast support of their compatriots led to victory that day and, in the months that followed, to the ultimate triumph of good over evil. It was the most spectacular feat accomplished by what has rightly been called the greatest generation: the fathers and mothers of today’s leaders, the fathers and mothers of my childhood.
While it was their most spectacular feat, it was not their only one. Having fought against oppression, racism and cruelty in Europe, they returned to Canada determined to build a society that was more just, more egalitarian and more caring than the one they had left behind. With the same commitment, but with more patience, they would also win the Cold War and defeat the tyranny of communism.
As the number of representatives of this great generation dwindles before our eyes, we wonder how we can honour them. How can we truly thank them? As every Canadian schoolchild has learned since our presence in Flanders nearly a century ago, there is only one answer: to take the torch from their now faltering hands and carry it high.
Our own world constantly reminds us of the urgent need to safeguard and advance the vision and values for which our parents’ generation fought.
And today, as we remember the lives of the Canadian, French, American, British and other Allied soldiers who lie beneath these sands, we also think of the brave women and men of our enduring alliance who are serving side by side in Afghanistan to bring light and hope to a people who have long known only darkness and despair. And we also remember that our peace and prosperity have come with not only a price to pay, but also an obligation to share our good fortune, especially with those who still suffer violence, oppression and deprivation today.
So let us resolve today, on behalf of our glorious veterans, on behalf of young people full of hope for a better and safer world, and on behalf of the heroic souls who set foot here to liberate these beaches, never to forget, never to give up, and never to waver in our determination to defend freedom, promote democracy, and seek justice for all peoples.”
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