Nov. 11 transcends divisions

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/11/2010 (5467 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Author and journalist Pierre Berton once said “a Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe without tipping it.” Well, in fact, Canadians have upset a lot of canoes on the road to 2010 and beyond.

War has shaped every nation on Earth, as losers or victors, and Canada is no different. Despite the myth of the tranquil Canuck, Canadians have a history and reputation as fierce warriors. Unfortunately, the country also has the body count to prove it — about 117,000 killed in various wars over the last 140 years, but mainly in the first and second world wars.

The death toll, however, is only a small, if vital, part of why people bow their heads in silence on Remembrance Day. Every fallen soldier had families, friends and neighbours who suffered deeply and often for the rest of their lives.

It is not an exaggeration, therefore, to say that millions of Canadians have been touched directly and painfully by war.

And that is the second reason why we remember. Canada’s past wars were dramatic and pivotal moments in the country’s history. They shaped, to varying degrees, our sense of identity and pride, as well as our economy, institutions, ideas of justice and equality, and the very meaning of democracy itself.

The war in Afghanistan is smaller in scale than previous conflicts, but the parallels with the past are evident. The suffering of a mother like Shirley Seggie of Winnipeg who lost her son, Cpl. Michael Seggie, in Afghanistan is no less intense and heart-breaking.

The difference is that grief today is more public than in the past. There was no Highway of Heroes in previous wars, much less national television and instant polling.

The pride of military families and, indeed, most Canadians, in the service of our troops is equally impassioned. Canadians may be divided about the conflict today, but let’s not forget that there were sharp and bitter disagreements in other wars, too.

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Remembrance Day is not an endorsement of Canada’s wars or a proclamation of our moral and religious superiority. Rather, it is a time to reflect on our history and on the sacrifices of our ancestors and fellow citizens.

It is something we can all share because it transcends religious, political and ethnic divisions.