So many Canadians proudly wear the poppy during its campaign in early November each year. The scarlet bloom, which is celebrating its centennial year, has come to signify our reverence for those who served in the wars of days past, many of whom never returned home.
We remember them. We see their faces in photographs; hear their names in stories; salute their memory to the lonely echo of a trumpet as it sounds The Last Post, and the solemn silence that follows each Nov. 11.
Remembrance Day's reminder is to honour those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy, and to keep us from forgetting their sacrifices.
This year, more than any other, our legions will be celebrating a more recent battle many have faced, as COVID shutdowns have threatened their survival.
Many across Canada have struggled to stay open during the pandemic. Others have been forced to close their doors.
The Royal Canadian Legion gives support to veterans and each branch provides a space for many to build community alongside one another.
It's surprising to think its survival would ever be threatened.
The pandemic's toll nearly spelled the complete loss of three of Alberta's 161 branches this year, as public-health restrictions choked out their main sources of support, while 19 others in the province are teetering on the edge of closure.
No longer able to rent out their spaces for community events or open their bars, legion branches across the country were forced to plead with the federal government in 2020 for $30 million in funding to stay afloat. Sadly, Ottawa handed them back a mere $14 million — not nearly enough to keep many of them going.
More than 120 branches faced imminent closure at the time of the funding request. Many across the country have shut their doors since.
John Mahon, Royal Canadian Legion Alberta-Northwest Territories command president, has said those that have managed to hang on have done so through the creativity of volunteers and staff who have raised funds through every manner possible.
Certainly all levels of government have a moral obligation to do so much more.
In the meantime, it's also our turn step up.
As Canadian citizens, we owe countless veterans so much, that it's time to collectively turn our gratitude toward the legion branches where they find solace, support, and community after they have served their country.
Our veterans need more than our quiet pledge not to forget, this Remembrance Day.
Right now, our veterans need our active support.
Remember this when you make a donation and select a poppy from that little box. Your local legion is literally counting on it.
Editorials are the consensus view of the St. Albert Gazette’s editorial board.
