Tomorrow, thousands of us will make a short trek down to the National War Memorial to commemorate Remembrance Day while many more will watch on TV. As countless dignitaries, diplomats and representatives line up to lay wreaths behind and around the tomb of the Unknown Soldier; hopefully we will all pause and reflect on the meaning and significance of this very important day.

Since yours truly is often critical of a variety of government expenditures, let's offer praise where its due. Our government has done a tremendous job with its landscape modifications to the war memorial site and augmenting this area (at the foot of Elgin Street and Wellington) with a dignified and final resting place for the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And it has been encouraging to see a renewed interest in Remembrance Day - especially amongst younger generations of Canadians - over the past few years.

Of course, the current war-like footing (post-September 11th) and climate that permeates our culture today will also bring tomorrow into sharper focus for most Canadians as we think about the 2,000 troops en route to the Middle East to aid in the international war against terrorism. We should also be thankful for and cognizant of the sacrifice that the families of these women and men are making: especially the children who won't have daddy or mommy at home this Christmas.

For some, tomorrow is just another Sunday. For others, tomorrow will mean the end of putting another loonie (that's $17 this year alone Margaret!) in the poppy box for another year. But for most citizens - as the clock strikes 11am tomorrow - it will be two minutes in sombre, reflective thought. They will think of uncles, fathers or grandfathers that perished in World War II or perhaps the Korean War. Or they may recall stories of grandfathers or great grandfathers that fought and died or fought and survived the Great War, the war to end all wars, World War I.

Sadly in the last two decades, politically correct types have sullied Remembrance Day under the guise of not wishing to glorify war, death or the inevitable civilian casualties. Indeed, I can recall some teachers from grade three through to my early high school years questioning the merits of Canada's historic military conflicts. It was truly a shameful - albeit isolated - indictment of our education system.

Thankfully, as my late father (a Korean active service veteran) repeatedly reminded me and as Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley so eloquently and recently reminded all of us, Canada is a not a pacifist, stand by and tolerate injustices nation. To paraphrase Mr. Manley, there are thousands of bodies buried across the battlefields of Europe as a testament to this fact.

And we shouldn't underestimate what one war actually cost in thousands of lives. Over 60,000 Canadian soldiers perished in World War I. To put it into perspective, that's more dead soldiers than we have in uniform in all facets of the forces (army, navy, air force) today. Or put another way, if you live in the old Gloucester as I do, imagine that two-thirds of the population - your neighbours to the left and right - were to vanish tomorrow. That would represent our national sacrifice between 1914 and 1918.

Thousands more have laid down their lives in World War II, Korea and now, several peacekeeping and more often than not, peacemaking missions around the globe.

While it's been said before, it's worth repeating. These people died to defend freedom, liberty and our democratic values and institutions. Every day as I rail against the government for this or that, I am aware of this fact. More importantly, I am also acutely aware of the right of my political opponents to disagree with my stands on behalf of the CTF and argue their case as forcefully as possible in the court of public opinion. It's called democracy. Where ideas and proponents clash, all in the interests of building a better nation.

It's called a democracy as well where I can disagree with the stands that Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray may take in defence of his government during the daily question period but then turn the other cheek and willingly support him in his capacity as honorary chair of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre Foundation campaign, in which I'm also involved.

It's called a democracy where we can have a debate about the merits of teenagers skateboarding in and around the National War Memorial. Some passionately argue that it is no place for kids to play as it damages a national site. On the other hand, some, including veterans, argue that it is precisely where teenagers can and should hang out, as that is what so many women and men fought and died for, freedom to associate and play wherever one wishes.

Remembrance Day is a day like no other. It connects generations of long passed on Canadians with all of us. It forces the mind to focus on what we cherish most in our families, communities and in the country, so that we may preserve it, enhance it and bequeath it to our children.

And as Canadian women and men once again sail off to a land that for many of us is still only known as a country on the risk game board, we should remember, as the Korean War memorial in Washington so aptly stats, "Freedom is not free." It comes with a price: a supreme price. And this price that upholds freedom is called peace. For peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of law, order and justice.

Please reflect on this, not only tomorrow, but for many days to come.