Ask any Canadian to explain the loss of the hundreds of thousands of Canadian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the wars of the last hundred years. Chances are that the response will be that they died fighting for our freedom. And they did: many fell for having the courage to stand up against those who threatened the freedom of our nation and the world, and we are all the less for their absence.

As we mourn the dead, we must also ask if we have the courage to follow their example. Tyranny is not the exclusive domain of would-be assailants from abroad. The most insidious threat to our freedoms is that which originates at home, and this every one of us has the ability and the responsibility to fight.

The Pirate Party of Canada has at its heart the protection of our fundamental freedoms, particularly the freedoms of speech, expression, and media. If you believe as we do, you are welcome to join with us in our fight. If not, we encourage you to stand up alone or with others to defend what you believe in against the inevitable onslaught of those who would compromise our freedoms for personal, political, or economic gain.

No one should respond to Remembrance Day with, “Whew, I’m glad all of that stuff is over.” The precious freedoms that we as citizens take for granted can always be taken away from us if we are not vigilant. Today we remember the sacrifices that have been made, but we must also remember the duties and responsibilities that remain. Every one of us as Canadians must always defend the Canada we are proud of against all those who would attack what it stands for, from without and from within.

Lest we forget.

Mikkel Paulson
Leader
Pirate Party of Canada

“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” —Plato