I attended the Veteran Appreciation event at the Cenotaph, sponsored by The Memory Project and the Province of Ontario.

Having just retired from 42 years of service as a reservist, I was glad of the chance to wear my medals, and my hat badge, and stand with members of my community to honour and remember.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I had the pleasure of attending a commemorative event for veterans that did not include prayer, religion or even hymns. It was a secular, inclusive event, and I truly felt welcome, and respected.

I left The Royal Canadian Legion recently, after 20 years of membership, because I could no longer stomach the Legion's exclusive insistence on the use on Christian prayer at all its ceremonies. It became especially galling when my requests for inclusivity, even just for members of other faiths, were met by outright rejection. That this rejection came from Legion members and officers who had never served in uniform made it even worse.

The ceremony at Memorial Square shows us that it should be possible to hold a community event of remembrance and reflection without automatically turning the microphone over to a so-called "chaplain," who often as not has never served in the Forces.

Aileen Carroll, members of The Memory Project, and a handful of high school students, have shown us that it can be done.

Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Memory Project. And thank you, wonderful young people, for making me feel welcome, included, and respected.