November 10, 2013
Ottawa – On behalf of the Honourable Julian Fantino, Royal Galipeau, Member of Parliament for Ottawa–Orléans and Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, today joined His Excellency Hee-yong Cho, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea for Canada, His Worship Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa, and local Veterans in a commemorative wreath-laying ceremony held at the Ottawa City Hall to honour Canada’s Veterans of the Korean War.
“Tonight, it is my privilege to represent Canada as we honour the sacrifices and achievements of the Canadians who fought to defend the Republic of Korea and to uphold our shared values of peace and freedom,” stated MP Galipeau. “As we gather here in Ottawa, Canadian Veterans are joining men and women in uniform of the Canadian Armed Forces at a similar commemorative ceremony in Busan, South Korea.”
In its seventh consecutive year, the “Turn to Busan” ceremony coincides with the Remembrance Day ceremony held at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Republic of Korea. The event is organized by the National Capital Unit of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada.
“This Turn to Busan ceremony is especially poignant as we mark the Year of the Korean War Veteran in 2013,” added Minister Fantino. “More than 26,000 Canadians served in the Korean War and tonight we remember their contributions to peace, democracy, and freedom.”
This Veterans’ Week, your challenge is to show you remember. Wearing a poppy, attending a local Remembrance Day ceremony and changing your Facebook profile picture to a poppy are all ways to remember and honour Veterans. Visit veterans.gc.ca/iremember to get interactive and share your thoughts, or to find commemorative events in your community.
2013 is the Year of the Korean War Veteran—Canada proudly remembers the heroes of the Korean War and their brave fight to defend the Republic of Korea and uphold freedom, democracy and the rule of law. For more information on Canada’s role in the Korean War, visit veterans.gc.ca.
