The Sydenham Current caught up with Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP Bev Shipley, after he attended the Wallaceburg Remembrance Day service at the UAW Hall.
Shipley said this Remembrance Day had a bit more a special meaning this year.
“Across the riding and across Canada, it’s carrying a little more of a special meaning today, following the events of a couple of weeks ago,” Shipley said. “In Quebec with Warrant Officer Vincent and Cpl. Cirillo in Ottawa and then with the events that happened after that even.”
Shipley added: “There is an awareness and there is a sense that people are coming out in larger amounts to witness and to give thanks to our Veterans, those in the past, but those right now. People are thinking about how important it is that we stand up and support our Veterans and our Canadian Forces right now.”
Shipley was one of a handful MP’s who were on lockdown after the Oct. 22, which resulted in the death of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
Shipley said the question has come up since that tragic day, why did this ever happen in Canada?
“Well the world has changed,” he said. “We take so much for granted here. I had calls from people in other parts of the world, that I’ve got to know through government business, that I never would have expected to get a call from. They were saying they never expected this to happen in Canada… and we just want you to know how much we are thinking about your country. I believe it just raised an awareness in some of these countries that never really considered volatile before either.”
Shipley said the Wallaceburg ceremony was a nice service.
“There are so many people that lay wreaths, or families that come out,” he said. “There was a young mom with her two or three year old daughter, who laid a wreath. That is about teaching our families about having the respect and the appreciation.
Shipley said he spoke with the woman afterwards and thanked her for sharing the experience with her daughter.
