Remembrance Day drew thousands of residents, veterans, and active service members to the streets of Sidney to watch the stirring parade of pipers, soldiers, sailors, air force members, cadets and veterans as they marched through the town streets to honour those who have sacrificed for their country.
It's a day that has focussed primarily on those who gave their lives during the First and Second World Wars. That, of course, does not mean that those brave men and women deserve any less respect and remembrance.
They, in fact, paid the ultimate price for Canada and for the cause of freedom in the world. They should never be forgotten.
It's a sentiment shared by MP for Saanich -- Gulf Islands, Elizabeth May, who was on hand for the ceremony and who laid a wreath at Sidney's cenotaph to honour those brave souls.
But, May also recognizes that there are others who deserve our thoughts as well.
"Not long ago, I met with a group of veterans from the Persian Gulf War. These are men and women who made sacrifices for our country, but whose sacrifice doesn't get the attention it deserves," said May.
"They don't get recognized by the government as having been in a war, and as a result, it can affect the benefits that they get," explained May.
The Canadian government only recognizes Gulf War veteran's service as Special Duty Service under the Veterans Well-being Act. Special duty does not equate to wartime service, despite the fact that those veterans were put in harms way.
Similarly, the government is currently reviewing the recognition of Canadian service men and women who served in Afghanistan. That conflict killed 165 Canadians, but the government is still debating whether the conflict warrants the awarding of Canada's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross.
Twenty Stars of Military Valour -- Canada's second-highest military award -- and 89 Medals of Military Valour were awarded to soldiers who served in Afghanistan. No serving Canadian soldier or veteran has been awarded the Victoria Cross since the Second World War.
In one publication, Canada's response to the situation reads, "In accordance with sections 69 and 70 of the Veterans Well-Being Act, the Minister of National Defence, in consultation with the Minister of Veterans Affairs, has the authority only to designate a 'Special Duty Area' or 'Special Duty Operation'. Applying these categories is not meant to signal greater or lesser respect for the service of members and veterans, nor are such categories indicative of a lesser degree of risk on the part of those deployed. For example, in addition to the Persian Gulf, service in the Balkans and Afghanistan have been classified by Order of the Minister of National Defence as Special Duty Service."
"...changing the categorization of those who served in the Persian Gulf from 'Special Duty Service' to 'Wartime Service' would not necessarily result in any change to offered benefits..."
May, however, says changing the designation is a "no-brainer."
"Let's just get it done," she added.
That being said, May again emphasized that she has nothing but respect for those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for Canada.
"I think that people realize how many people have sacrificed to keep us a sovereign country," she said. "It's a fragile freedom we enjoy, and I think people are starting to get that. It's extremely heartening to see this many people coming out. It's a good indicator of who we are as Canadians."