Today marks a day that all Canadians recognize as the day we honour our veterans and the sacrifices they have made over the course of our nation’s history.

It is not enough, however, to solely remember the innumerable soldiers who gave their lives. It is crucial we remember why.

What drives someone to die for their country? What makes a soldier give up their homes and their families to fight halfway across the globe?

These soldiers we remember today died for a story. They fought so that their families, children, and grandchildren could live in a peaceful, free, and just society. They believed in the ideal of their nation and gave everything they had in pursuit of it.

Did they succeed? Absolutely. We no longer live in a country where we need to worry about dying as we continue to fight for peace, freedom, and justice, but this does not mean that the story that has claimed so many young lives has yet come true.

We remember today those who have fought so that we might continue to fight. Our ideal still eludes us. The war may be over, but the battle continues.

Lest we forget.