Defending the values which Canadians hold dear
It’s been just over a year since I departed the realms of the Royal Canadian Air Force as their Honorary Colonel. Like any member of a family, I think of them often and especially in these unpredictable and turbulent times.
I accepted the role, largely inspired by the sentiment, that democracy does not thrive as a spectator sport – that if we care about the democracy we live in, we must all do our part to preserve it.
Canadian Armed Forces do many things far beyond a battle field. Their mandate includes search and rescue, international and domestic humanitarian aid, disaster relief, sovereignty patrol, re-supply missions, international peace-keeping, peace-making, in addition to combat.
It was important for me to get to know our men and women in uniform, where they came from, why they joined, and how they undertake their responsibilities. It was equally important to understand how their career path has affected their ability to have and maintain a family, children, husbands, wives and parents who, behind the scenes, stoically support them.
In Canada, we are fortunate to count our military as a relatively neutral instrument, instructed by the government of the day, on behalf of Canadians. As well we know, this is not, nor has always been the case elsewhere in the world.
Our present Canadian Forces are the extension of the history & traditions of the very brave men and women, who from across our land, fought and died in vast numbers in two great wars and more. It is they who have afforded us this life of liberty, freedom and privilege. We, as citizens, owe it to them to be informed about the work they do, and the challenges and risks they face. For in their neutrality, lies a vulnerability, for which each citizen holds a duty of care.
I know I am not alone in my uneasiness in observing current world affairs and the stress put on the institutional framework which has held us together in relative peace for many decades. In World War II, the challenge was easily understood. It was an attack on our way of life by an identifiable opponent with a name, uniform, location, even a face. This made it easy to visualize who we were up against. But is our way of life under attack today and if so, by whom?
Are we, the ‘public citizens’ ready and willing to take up the challenges that the future could bring us, like our fore bearer. If so, what is needed of us?
We cannot be complacent or live in denial. This was simply not an option for those living in 1939. We must return to and embrace the study of History and Civics. Youth can be encouraged to enroll in the CAF and Reserves. Above all, we mustn’t regard our fragile democracies as a spectator’s sport, but instead step up, speak up and be proud to be of service to others, defending the values which Canadians hold dear.
On this coming Remembrance Day, these will be at least some of my thoughts alongside an abundance of gratitude.
Loreena McKennitt CM, OM, CD, LL.D. and D.Litt
Stratford, Ontario
Loreena McKennitt is an international, multi-platinum recording artist, a member of The Order of Canada, the former Honorary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Air Force and founder of Wise Communities.