Canada Remembers with A Wave of Silence
The Royal Canadian Legion has launched a special appeal for the last Remembrance Day of the 20th Century. The Legion is asking Canadians everywhere to pause for two minutes at 11:00 a.m. on November 11th, as a special tribute to those who died defending Canada. The “2-Minute Wave of Silence” will begin in Newfoundland, and sweep across the country like a wave, as 11:00 a.m. strikes in each time zone.
“In our hectic society, silence is both rare and dramatic,” said Chuck Murphy, Legion Dominion President. “Just a few weeks from the end of the Millennium, we hope that all Canadians will take two minutes to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by fellow Canadians during this century.”
The “2-Minute Wave of Silence” will bring a change in the way Remembrance Day is observed, especially for those who are unable to attend a local ceremony, or watch the national broadcast on television. The Wave will be an opportunity for all Canadians to participate, to stop whatever they are doing for a few moments, without any special ceremonial or religious overtones.
The campaign is central to an important mandate of the Legion, the perpetuation of Remembrance. There are very few remaining survivors of the First World War, and the Veterans of the Second World War are dying at the rate of almost 100 per day. “If the horrors of this Century are not to be repeated, they must be remembered,” said Murphy. “As the number of eyewitnesses declines, it is up to all of us to make sure that their legacy is honoured.”
Canada is one of only a few countries that has never fought a war of aggression. But during this century, over 1.4 million young Canadians volunteered to serve in the military and merchant navy, and 116,000 of them never made it home.
The Wave of Silence campaign is being carried out at the community level. “With almost a half-million Legion members talking to neighbours and local business people, civic and church leaders, we are sure that the message about the Wave is reaching people” Legion PR Manager, Bob Butt said.
And there is national support. Legion executive contacted 5,000 businesses, thousands of associations, municipalities, and school boards, as well as the major media. “The leaders of the major networks and newspaper chains responded expressing their support. The CBC will be incorporating the two minute silence in its broadcast on November 11th, and many private stations will be doing something they never do, broadcasting two minutes of silence.”
Support among Canadians appears high. In an Environics poll commissioned by the Legion, 87% of Canadians said that they would most likely observe the 2-Minute Wave of Silence on November 11th. 1999.