Minister Goodale honours fallen police and peace officers

OTTAWA, September 25, 2016 - Today, on the occasion of the Canadian Police and Peace Officers’ 39th Annual Memorial Service, flags on federal buildings across the country are flying at half-mast in honour of the more than 850 men and women whose names are engraved on the Honour Roll tablets on Parliament Hill.

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness issued the following statement to mark this important annual event.

“We all recognize the vital role of police and peace officers in keeping Canadians safe, as well as the dangers they inherently face when carrying out their duties. They are essential to the quality of life we enjoy in Canada and they carry out their noble and essential function with courage, pride and professionalism.

On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I am honoured to pay tribute to the police and peace officers who dedicated their lives to helping keep our communities safe and who in turn paid the ultimate price for their dedication.

This year, the names of five officers have been added to the memorial as enduring reminders of their contributions and their sacrifice. They include two young police officers, heartbreakingly taken from their families, their communities and their colleagues this past year: Constable Sarah Beckett of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Constable Thierry Leroux of Lac Simon First Nations Police Service. Three historic names were also added: County Constable William L. Pickard, Thamesville Kent County Police; Immigration Deportation Officer Marshall Jackson, Department of Interior; and Inspector Herbert. G. Herbert, Department of Interior.

All Canadians mourn the death of police and peace officers, but none feel the loss more personally, more profoundly or more painfully than their families, friends and colleagues. Today is an opportunity to think of them and to extend to them our thoughts and prayers.

It is also an opportunity to express our deep gratitude to police and peace officers across the country and serving in countries abroad, for their dedication to helping keep our communities safe.”

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For more information, please visit the website www.publicsafety.gc.ca.

Information:

Scott Bardsley
Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
613-998-5681

Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
(613) 991-0657