Korean War Veterans Day Act (S.C. 2013, c. 17)

Preamble

Whereas on June 25, 1950, the military forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) crossed the 38^th parallel into the Republic of Korea (South Korea), marking the beginning of hostilities that would ensue for more than three years in the country known to its people as the Land of the Morning Calm;

Whereas 26,791 Canadians came to the aid of South Koreans and courageously defended the principles of peace, freedom and democracy on the Korean Peninsula, and another 7,000 Canadians served as peacekeepers in the uneasy ceasefire that followed the armistice of 1953;

Whereas the valiant efforts of these Canadians left many of them physically and mentally wounded, a price they continued to pay upon their return to Canada;

Whereas 516 Canadians, whose names are inscribed in the Korean War Book of Remembrance located in the Peace Tower in Ottawa and on the Wall of Remembrance in the Meadowvale Cemetery in Brampton, Ontario, died in service during the war, and nearly 400 of these war dead are buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, South Korea;

Whereas Canada was one of the highest contributors among the sixteen member nations that provided combat support to the United Nations campaign in the Korean War;

Whereas Canada’s soldiers fought in many notable battles that not only spoke to their courage and resilience but constituted pivotal moments of incalculable significance that changed the course of the Korean War;

Whereas the country that Canadians defended and died for has transformed from being one of the poorest nations in the world to being an aid-giving member nation of the G20 in six short decades;

Whereas July 27, the day that marks the signing of the Korea Armistice Agreement in Panmunjom in 1953, is an appropriate day to designate as a day to express the appreciation of the Canadian people for the heroic efforts of the veterans of the Korean War and the sacrifices of their families who lost so much so that others could live in peace and prosperity;

Whereas on June 8, 2010, the Senate of Canada unanimously adopted a motion to acknowledge and endorse July 27 in each and every year as National Korean War Veterans Day;

And whereas it is desirable that Canada have a national day of remembrance to honour the men and women of the Canadian armed forces who served to protect freedom and democracy in South Korea during the Korean War and the peacekeeping years following the armistice;