Give Remembrance Day the respect it deserves

I find myself on Nov. 11, as I have done for the past 59 years, or since I was old enough to vaguely grasp war, death and conflict, in deep contemplation, not only on this specific day, but many times throughout the year when the temptation arises to complain.

I’m an immigrant (at four years old) of the mass wave to this country of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Both my Dutch parents were subject to various dark stages of the Second World War.

Father was a teenager and subject to the concentration camps of Indonesia, and my mother recounts the bombs falling during her pre-teen days in the Netherlands. So I am very grateful for the Canadians and all of the Allied forces who sacrificed their lives and continued to do so for our country.

The foundation for our freedom and opportunities was hard fought. They were costly and need more respect. Although there is tremendous support in and around the city honouring this poignant day, I am still shocked at the seeming apathy for visual respect.

I usually go to the cenotaph, but I changed my approach this year and found my “spot” at Stadacona Park for the moment(s) of silence. I’m still shocked at the number of cars that still needed to go about their mundane tasks without stopping at that designated time of 11 a.m.

Maybe we could have all the traffic lights go red for one minute in the city.

Ed Bakker Victoria