My dear fellow Canadians:

Seventy years ago, Holland was liberated from the occupying forces of Germany. What a great event that was! Being free again—that was almost more than we could believe. I remember very well that we had no transportation left but I found an old bike with only wheels and pedals—no tires or anything—but it gave me the opportunity to travel a bit faster than running. I wanted to see and meet the Canadians!

When we talk about “liberation,” what does that mean to us and what is going through our minds? Yes, some of us have gone through a war and have seen the terrible things and the consequences that a war brings. We certainly are not eager to have these memories refreshed again but would rather leave them at rest.

Twenty-one years ago, we were in the Netherlands celebrating the 50^th anniversary of liberation. There, we met some of the veterans and took them out for a day. While being out with them, we talked about the things we remembered. Let me tell you, tears came to these veterans when they thought back to their fallen comrades. As we lived under occupation for five years, our focus was on liberation.

Today, how often do we think of the cost of that liberation? We have seen many pictures on our TV screen but there is one in particular that stands out for me: I saw the daughter of a fallen soldier standing, for the first time, at the graveside of her father, whom she had never known. I remember the time that we stood at a cemetery in the Netherlands where we saw row upon row of crosses with the names of these fallen comrades. We saw that many who lost their lives were only 18-23 years old. Then our thoughts went out to their loved ones, who stayed behind, of the pain they suffered because they never saw their loved ones return home.

When we see and remember all these things, we become increasingly aware of what these people did for us, who were strangers to them. For us, it was liberation and for the veterans it was victory. With that victory came the loss of many fallen comrades with whom they had shared many difficulties that we could not even comprehend.

In remembering all of this, we want to thank the veterans, and families of veterans, for what you did for us. We realize that words cannot express adequately our thanks and gratitude to you for giving up so much for our liberation.

Liberation means freedom. But, what do we mean by freedom? Do we realize the blessings we have, living in a free country? Our country was established on Biblical principles. When we look around, we see all the countries that have been built on those principles still living in relative freedom while other countries that are based on secular principles are ruled by dictatorships. When we look around, do we realize that our freedom is gradually being taken away by political correctness?

When we commemorate Remembrance Day, we remember those who fought and gave their lives so we may live in freedom. Many people around the world envy our freedom and would love to have that freedom. Many have put their lives in danger to be able to come to Canada. Do we want to maintain that freedom? Political correctness–our new dictator—is quickly taking our freedoms away. Simply stating our opposition to certain lifestyles may bring trouble. Do we call that freedom?

During World War 2, we in the occupied countries were told that we were not allowed to say certain things. Can you imagine the joy we experienced when the Canadians came to free us from that oppression? When we were in the Netherlands at one of the celebrations of liberation, I had the opportunity to talk to a couple veterans. In the parades, we saw the joy and thankfulness of the Dutch people toward the Canadians, who had given us back our freedom . . . at tremendous cost. What would those fallen soldiers think if they were able to come back and see how we, in the West, are squandering our freedoms today? They would probably ask themselves: “Is this what we fought for?” Many today have never experienced the terrors and suffering of war nor do they know what it is to live under tyranny. We must use our freedom of speech while we have it. We must not allow tyranny to overtake our beloved Canada, which once sent soldiers to liberate others.

In closing, I’d like to convey to you that this has reminded me once again of the One who also has given His all to liberate us for eternity. May we live and aim for that liberation. May we in Canada today use the freedom to worship and ever bring glory to Him who has given us our freedom. As Scripture says, “You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.”

There is one political party that continues to defend our freedoms. Join CHP Canada today. We have much to protect and much to lose if we won’t protect our freedoms.

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