Manitoba premier, Wab Kinew, is in France this week representing the province at D-Day 80th anniversary ceremonies. He is joined by Waverley MLA and the province's military liaison, David Pankratz, paying respect to the veterans and the fallen soldiers and to say 'thank you' for protecting our freedoms and liberties.
"This was the turning point in World War II where our veterans and their fallen comrades turned the tides in the fight against the Nazis. And this is the landing in Normandy at Juno Beach and other sites that allowed the Allies to be able to begin the march that eventually led to the defeat of Hitler," explained Kinew of the significant milestone.
"I think it's also important for us to attend on behalf of the people of Manitoba, to say thank you. To say thank you for protecting our freedoms and liberties. Thank you for your sacrifice in the name of our democracy and thank you for standing up for our way of life."
Kinew will be among other Canadian and World leaders including Prime Minister Trudeau and U.S. President Biden.
"I think it will be a moment for patriotism, a moment for pride and an important moment for us to remember the invaluable contributions that the greatest generation mate on our behalf."
Meanwhile, locally, the Royal Canadian Legion is hosting a D-Day service at the Cenotaph in Confederation Park. The public is invited to attend the ceremony which will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 6th.
"Too soon we forget what these folks did for us, and many of them never came home," said Legion member and veteran Ken Wiebe. "We're just going to have a short service, probably won't be more than 30 minutes."
On D-Day, the Canadian forces were given Juno Beach as their point of landing, with the British on their left flank, and the Americans and some other nations on their right flank.
"I think we should remember, because history has proven if you forget your history, your tend to repeat it," added Wiebe. "With all the conflict going on in the world, with Ukraine and Israel, I think we should really do our best to remember the results of conflicts like that and wars, and the suffering that not only goes on by those participating in the war, but those that suffer at home because they lost loved ones in the battle."