November 9, 2020

We remember

We wear our poppy proudly

By KERRY DIOTTE
Member of Parliament
Edmonton Griesbach

Are you wearing a red poppy this year to honour and respect people who died for our freedoms and democracy?

I sincerely hope so.

Canadians were justifiably outraged and insulted when Amazon-owned Whole Foods outlawed the wearing of remembrance poppies for its staff.

The company’s apparent justification was grotesquely misguided. Poppies were essentially pooh-poohed because they weren’t in keep with the acceptable standard uniform, an official said. 

News media quoted a Whole Foods employee as saying a poppy somehow violated a policy against supporting a social cause.

Whole Foods officials were otherwise tight-lipped but it was obvious to most people why they’d banned poppies. Apparently, red poppies are not politically correct. 

Most people realize poppies are worn to honour the sacrifice of the men and women who fought and died for the democratic freedoms we hold dear. 

(Read my full column at the link below)

 

 

 

The story of Edmonton’s Wally Bunka, a true Canadian hero

By NICK LEES
Edmonton Journal

The seas were rough on D-Day, June 6, 1944, when Edmonton’s Wally Bunka, now 94, approached Normandy’s Juno Beach in a landing craft.

Ahead were Nazi defenders with powerful guns, mines, hidden machine-gun posts, fortified beach houses, concrete-and-steel pillboxes, and an elaborate trench system.

“One of our guys, Andy Mutch, was very seasick on the landing craft,” said Bunka. “He was leaning on the side of the boat and throwing up when he overbalanced and fell in.

“He went down carrying ammunition and gear and didn’t come up. We couldn’t stop or we could have been hit. I heard bullets hitting the water near us before we even tried to go ashore.”

Bunka is one of the few Canadian soldiers still with us who helped establish an eight-km beachhead to begin the liberation of western Europe.

(Read the full column by Nick Lees, Edmonton Journal at the link below)

 

 

 

Let’s remember the heroic Indigenous Canadians who have served our country

Alexander Decoteau was a hero. Decoteau was from Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and later moved to Edmonton. Joining the Edmonton police force in 1909, Decoteau was Canada’s first Indigenous Canadian police officer. He was also chosen to represent Canada in the 1912 Olympic games.

In 1916 Decoteau enlisted into the army and served in Edmonton’s own 49th Battalion. Decoteau was killed in action on October 30, 1917. He was one of the more than 4,000 Canadians killed in the battle of Passchendaele.

Lest we forget.

Last week’s straw poll results 

Last week I asked folks who they thought would win the US election.  

Joe Biden was the clear winner, in this straw poll. 

A big thanks to everyone who took part.

 

 

Have your say

Will you proudly wear a poppy on Remembrance Day?

Have your say in my new unofficial poll. I’ll publish the results in next week’s e-newsletter.

 

 

 

 

 

Latest news on COVID-19 

 

You can find up-to-date information from Alberta Public Health or the Public Health Agency of Canada

Alberta Public Health can also be reached by phone at 811.

 

Benefits available for Canadians

There are programs available to help you and your family. 

 

 

 

In the news

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I want to hear from you 

I’m always eager to hear from you. Do you have beefs? Bouquets? Suggestions?

Drop me a note at my e-mail address.

Please note our local Edmonton constituency office is currently still open to serve you but it’s by appointment only. We simply ask that you call ahead to book an appointment.

Call or e-mail us and we’ll be happy to serve you.

Thanks so much. Stay healthy!

E-mail:
[email protected]

Phone:
(780) 495-3261

Mail (postage free): 
Kerry Diotte, MP 
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6




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