On June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed on five Normandy beaches in the biggest invasion in history. Every June 6, we remember the courage of those who took part, including the more than 14,000 Canadians who landed on Juno Beach.
Thousands of Allied soldiers were killed that day, including 359 Canadians. It was the beginning of the end to Nazi supremacy in Europe, and 11 months later, Germany surrendered.
The sacrifice made by those brave Canadians led to the creation of universal social programs after the war to raise up the poor and the jobless, children and the elderly, while investing heavily in public infrastructure and services.
We keep the sacrifices made on June 6 in mind as we fight for reforms to our broken long-term care system – a system that COVID-19 has shone a light on in recent months. Many of our veterans have depend on this system and they deserve the best services we can give them.
As we remember the bravery and sacrifice of so many young lives during D-Day, we renew our call for world peace, and for preserving public services that are so vital to the health and welfare of our society.
In solidarity,
Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President of OPSEU Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, OPSEU First Vice-President/Treasurer