More than 80 years have passed, but Jeanne-d’Arc Cadorette still remembers. Every year, she and her family make it a point to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies. In the company of her daughter, Chantal Carignan, and her granddaughter, Marianne Leclerc, she placed a wreath at the foot of the cenotaph, on the Promenade du Saint-Maurice, in Shawinigan.
Madame Cadorette also saw her three brothers go into combat, the two eldest during the Second World War and the third in Korea. For the two survivors, however, stories of their military engagement remained a taboo subject. In order to get closer to their experience, she gets involved with the Royal Canadian Legion and ensures the distribution of poppies when November arrives.
Today, the memory of Corporal Raymond Cadorette, like that of other veterans, was honored on the occasion of Remembrance Day. Those whose names are engraved on the stone, all listed at the start of the ceremony, fought in conflicts that have marked Canadian history: the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and the most recent, fought in Afghanistan .
Defending peace and democracy
A minute of silence was observed at eleven o’clock, marking a time of contemplation between two bugle sounds during which only the cries of a child in the crowd could be heard.
In his prayer, Padre Michel Rivard, had these words to remind us that peace as we know it is not acquired: “Let us remember with gratitude that it is thousands of Canadians who still decide today today voluntarily to serve Canada before themselves.
“Let us remember that this place of memory where we are gathered represents thousands of faces and first names of people from our region. May each first name become an additional motivation to work for peace and put an end to the conflicts plaguing our world. May our memory take action and invite us to choose diplomacy over violence, to choose to celebrate difference rather than exclusion.”
— Padre Michel Rivard, military chaplain
Several dignitaries took part in the ceremony, including MP and Minister François-Philippe Champagne, the mayor of Shawinigan, Michel Angers, and numerous veterans.
MP Champagne underlined that 80 years after the Normandy landings and 10 years after the end of the conflict in Afghanistan, the duty to remember remains: “It is important that every year we come together and take a moment to think about all those who defended democracy.
The member for Saint-Maurice-Champlain continued his speech by speaking of the importance of recognizing the “character” of the soldiers who defended the ideals of dignity and respect, thus building the Canada of today.
The 62nd Field Artillery Regiment from Shawinigan provided the military presence, parading along 4th Avenue. The music of the 62nd RAC under the direction of Commander Luc Darveau animated the ceremony with solemn hymns.
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