Our country’s lapels are blooming again—blood-red for remembrance. The crimson poppies remind us that Canada has always been greatly blessed with defenders. Generations of men and women have served our country with honour and boldness, though not without great sacrifice to themselves and their families.

Our government continues to seek and find ways to honour those people and their sacrifices. Over the last year, it organized many ceremonies in memory of our soldiers who served in critical historical battles. Delegations of veterans and their families returned to the site of those events. They included the WWI Battle of Vimy Ridge, fought in 1917 and the site of the Dieppe Raid in France, which took place a quarter century later in 1942.
 
Over the last six years, our government has implemented numerous benefits, services and programs to make sure that Canada’s remarkable veterans have the care and support they need and the recognition they deserve. Information about these is online, and I encourage veterans without access to computers to ask a friend or family member to print off more information.

We recently announced that Canada would partner with other union and private- and public-sector resources through the program Helmets to Hardhats, which matches veterans with well-paying jobs and training in the building, construction and trade industries. The program will help veterans and those releasing from the Canadian Forces transition successfully to civilian life. For more information on Helmets to Hardhats, visit www.helmetstohardhats.ca .

Providing support and more efficient services is another way to say “thank you” to our committed defenders. The Cutting Red Tape for Veterans initiative has implemented a hassle-free web browser, which will greatly simplify the sometimes lengthy and confusing process of obtaining veterans’ services. Check out the Benefits browser at veterans.gc.ca.

We want our veterans to count on our government to provide the quality services they so justly deserve. The Veterans Independence Program (VIP) provides up-front payments for most-commonly used services like yard maintenance and health-related travel, veterans are able to stay longer in their own homes. To learn more, type Veterans Independence Program in the search box at www.servicecanada.gc.ca.

Another valuable help to our veterans is The Veterans Review and Appeal Board. For various reasons, some applicants are refused benefits to which they feel they have a right. When this happens, applicants may appeal to this board, often successfully. For more information, visit www.vrab-tacra.gc.ca.

This Remembrance Day, red blazes forth again as we honour the contributions of our past troops. Like our Prime Minister, I am filled with gratitude for all our men and women in uniform—past and present. God is using, and has used, them to keep our land—and you and me—glorious and free.

Lest we forget, let us often remember.

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The audio version of Garry's Nov. 5, 2012 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here