 On the eve of June 6, 1944, Richard Scott Brown, a member of the Royal Air Force 644 Squadron from Port Arthur, Ontario, was towing gliders out under the moonlight. Just after midnight, he would seize bridges in enemy territory. Securing these access points proved to be critical to the success of Operation Neptune. It meant that the infantry could send over heavy artillery on the morning of D-Day and help the men who had carried out the amphibious landings. Norman Harold Kirby, a Bren gunner from British Columbia, was one of these men. A member of the North Shore Infantry Regiment, he stormed Juno Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. But while making its way to shore, the landing craft carrying his unit hit a mine. So Norman Kirby did what he had been trained to do. He ran. Without any weapons save a knife, a fork, and a spoon. Norman Kirby ran across the beach towards the enemy. He would go on to fight in Belgium, Germany, and Holland. He was just 19 years old. Like Norman Kirby, like Norman Kirby, Jean Tramp just came to be 19 years old during the Normandy's landing. He was originally from Montreal, but he was also far from home. He headed towards the river, under the rain of German bombardments. He would remember all his life from the carnage he witnessed that day. Screams of his wounded comrades by the bullets and the bombs. Cards without lives that were jumping on the beach. Cards without lives that were jumping on the beach. Soldiers, detainees, and even captains fell into the fight. Jean Tramp will later affirm that he saw the best and the worst of human beings during the Second World War. 14,000 Canadians stormed Juno Beach that day with no guarantee of victory. It was a gamble like the world had never seen before. But when duty called, Canadians from coast to coast to coast answered. The Third Division and the Second Armoured Brigade represented all of Canada. They were comprised of men like Richard Scott Brown, Norman, Harold, Kirby, and Jean Tramp. Men who came from different parts of our great country to serve. On the battlefields of Normandy, Francophones, Anglophones, indigenous peoples, new Canadians came together as one. One fighting force standing on guard for their British, American, and French allies. One country standing on guard for the wounded soldier, the imprisoned brother, the oppressed sister, the grieving mother, the deceased father. Standing on guard for democracy, for liberty, for peace. The Canadian troops have managed to advance further into the land than any other army during Normandy's landing. Our soldiers came to enter history. But tonight, they will cry for the loss of those who will never return to our country. The loss of father, brother, and son who, 75 years ago, day by day, have sacrificed their lives for their fellow citizens, for future generations, for you and me. More than 5,000 Canadians fell on the battlefields of Normandy. 75 years later, we remember the magnitude of their sacrifice. We remember, in particular, the companions of the first wave, such as the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and the Queens Rifles of Canada, who suffered huge losses in the first hours of the day. We remember their courage, their tenacity, and their generosity. We thank them not only for their sacrifice, but for their example. For inspiring countless young men and women to answer the call of duty like they once did. For teaching us the value of service, for showing us the true meaning of honour. We thank them for leaving us a better world than the one they once inherited. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the men who fought the beaches of Normandy. Thanks to them, we live in freedom and peace. Thanks to them, the values of peace and democracy define our country, but the legacy they have given us is far beyond our borders. They have shaped the world in which we live. They have tied the ties of friendship on which we relate our relations with so many countries today. They have inspired the great international forums that govern the diplomatic universe, forums like the UN, the OTAN, the World Bank, and so on. Thanks to them, thanks to the sacrifices they have made over the past 75 years, our world is safer, more connected, and more peaceful than it was at the time. I stand here knowing that I can never fully understand what our brave men and women in uniform experienced, and will never forget. Only those who threw themselves against the walls of the fortress of Europe in Normandy know the full extent of what unfolded here 75 years ago. But it is the responsibility of all Canadians to ensure that their story and their sacrifice will never be forgotten. It is up to us to preserve and protect the values for which they fought, up to us to uphold their proud legacy, and we will not let them down. Thank you.