A Message of Appreciation to Her Honour Vaughn Solomon Schofield from the President and CEO, MNCTP
Merchant Navy Commemorative Theme Project
906-470 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1R 7W9, Canada
Phone: 613.716.4137
E-mail: ouellettes123@bell.net
The Honourable Vaughn Solomon Schofield
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
Government House
4607 Dewdney Avenue
Regina SK S4T 1B7
July 24, 2015
Dear Lieutenant Governor Schofield:
I am writing to thank you wholeheartedly for your support message to the Canadian and Allied Merchant Navy, in recognition of our veterans’ role in defending our freedom and systems of democracy, on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As part of this new initiative, you are the first among Her Majesty’s provincial and territorial representatives to acknowledge their sacrifices, as the mainstay of the Allied Forces victories in both WWI and WWII.
September 3 was selected to be the Official Day of Remembrance for the Merchant Navy by the United Kingdom in 2000, Canada in 2003, and Australia in 2008. For 2015, one of our strategic goals is entitled: The Pan-Canadian and International Recognition of September 3. The first strategic objective is to encourage the capitals of all provinces and territories to fly their flags at half-mast on September 3.
Our second strategic objective is to request that all Lieutenant Governors, Premiers, and Commissioners provide a message of support that will be posted on the Allied Merchant Navy Website, along with your message, and that of The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, The Honourable Thomas Mulcair, Mr. Justin Trudeau, The Honourable Senator Joseph A. Day, and much more.
Moreover, the MNCTP is grateful for the critical contributions made to the cause of the Allied Merchant Navy by institutions, departments/agencies, and other organizations, stretching across the fields of public service, veterans’ advocacy, national defense, education, research, and more. They include: the Office of The Honourable Senator Joseph A. Day and The Senate of Canada, The Royal Canadian Navy, Veterans Affairs Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (including The Canadian Coast Guard), The University of Ottawa, and much more.
We have all worked very hard, over the past several years, to help educate Canadians on the vital role played by Merchant Navy veterans, and to ensure their inclusion in our remembrance of their efforts on our behalf. We must ensure that the heroic stories of the Allied Merchant Navy and American Merchant Marine are told alongside their military and civilian counterparts. The support and brotherhood of our government members is vital to the fulfillment of the MNCTP mission.
Your support, and that of other bodies of government, will help Canadians and members of the international community become more aware of the important contributions being made to build, grow, and encourage the inclusion of our veterans in the community of services that allow us to be recognized as one of the most accepting, free, and democratic countries in the world.
In closing, I leave you with a quote from President Abraham Lincoln that expresses my message perfectly. It is as follows:
“Honour to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honour also to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as best he can, the same cause.”
I remain Her Majesty’s most humble and obedient servant,
Stéphane Ouellette
President and Chief Executive Officer
Merchant Navy Commemorative Theme Project (MNCTP)