The provincial legislature held a special remembrance service Wednesday to honour veterans who fought for Canada past and present.
2019 marks 80 years since the beginning of World War II, where roughly 75,000 Saskatchewan residents sided with Great Britain in defeating Germany, Korea and Russia.
Premier Scott Moe said there’s something people should remember this Remembrance Day.
“Where were you in your late-teens or your early-20’s? maybe working at your first full-time job, maybe attending University of College, maybe travelling and discovering the world,” Moe said. “80 years ago, at that age, you would have been preparing for war, and then you would be fighting that war, brothers and sisters in arms.”
Moe said the sacrifices made by these veterans need to be remembered.
“This is a debt we owe, ladies and gentlemen, and it must be paid in full into perpetuity,” Moe said. “Our obligation does not end, it goes on today, and always, we remember those who served.”
Robert Cade is a war veteran who served for 61 years, including as a reserve in the Second World War. He talked about presenting to students at O’Neill High School earlier this week, and sending his message to the students who asked why he served his country.
“To bring that message of remembrance home, to explain to them that if it wasn’t for the veteran, the person who went to serve whether it was air, sea or land, it didn’t matter,” Cade said. “If they hadn’t done their job when they were called upon, we wouldn’t be here today, we’d be in a different environment.”
After the ceremony, Moe placed a wreath at the Saskatchewan War Memorial just west of the Legislature. The memorial lists the names of Saskatchewan’s fallen soldiers throughout the years.
