Youth and Government

We are coming toward Rememberance Day and I was thinking of what our fathers and grandfathers fought for.

I had the privilege today of addressing a social studies class at the Salmon Arm Senior Secondary School. They had just been reviewing the political spectrum (right to left) and I was able to give them my understanding as the BC Conservative candidate.

Most of all, however, I told them that they are our future and politics is nothing more than how we govern ourselves. If we don't get involved, then someone else will do it for us, but in doing so, we will lose our freedom. I encouraged them to join a political party and learn what the issues are.

The Canadian government commissioned a French version of Flanders Fields which was completed by Major Jean Pariseau. I left them with my translation of the final French stanza (I didn't read them the French but include it here for those who would have just had to look it up).

À vous jeunes désabusés,
À vous de porter l'oriflamme
Et de garder au fond de l'âme
Le goût de vivre en liberté.
Acceptez le défi, sinon
Les coquelicots se faneront
Au champ d'honneur.

It is for you, young and disillusioned
It is for you, to carry the banner
and to keep in the depths of your soul
the craving to live in freedom.
Accept the challenge, for if not
the poppies will fade
from the field of honour

The challenge is to govern ourselves in a way that will continue to give meaning to those who risked it all and lost their lives to give us a democracy so that we could govern ourselves.

As we move toward Nov 11th, let us remember that wearing a poppy is respectful, but building our communities together is what makes the poppies grow.