Speaking Notes for

Dr. Rey D. Pagtakhan , P.C., M.P.

The Man With Two Hats Unveiling Ceremony

Your Royal Highness, Princess Margriet, Mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven, Ambassador van Hellenberg Hubar, General [Lt Gen.] Gijsbers, Veterans, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen:

On behalf of the Government of Canada, it is my distinct honour to welcome you all to today's ceremony and celebration. We are particularly pleased to participate in this event with our friends and colleagues from the Embassy of the Royal Netherlands. And we are very grateful to our partners in today's proceedings - the Department of National Defence, Canadian Heritage, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ottawa Police, Public Works and Government Services, the National Capital Commission, and the Canadian Tulip Festival.

To our guests from overseas, and to those who are visitors to Ottawa, we are especially proud that you could join us during the Tulip Festival. As we see all around us the magnificent tulips that are the hallmark of an Ottawa springtime, today's ceremony reminds us that they represent much more than a renowned tourist attraction. They recall a particular time in our military history and our abiding friendship with the people of the Netherlands. They also remind us of a story of war, of tragedy, of birth, and ultimately, of triumph and freedom.

Your Royal Highness, you can be in no doubt of the respect and affection in which you are held by the citizens and Veterans of Canada. For our part it is not just because you were born here under very special circumstances during the war. Your birth in the Ottawa Civic Hospital just down the street from here - in a room designated Dutch territory for the occasion - captured the imagination and the hearts of all Canadians. Just as you did. I think they felt that you were their princess too.

This personal affection transcends time and place. Whenever our Veterans return to your country they are always received by your citizens - young and old alike - with continuing love and gratitude. In May of 2000 - during the 55th anniversary celebrations of the liberation of Holland - Veterans Affairs Canada sent a delegation of Veterans to participate in those commemorative events. One such event was in Apeldoorn where on May 2nd Your Highness graciously attended to the unveiling of the original "Man With Two Hats".

I am told that during the proceedings an elderly Dutch citizen said to one of our delegation "That's our Princess. She was born in Canada." Your Highness, I am sure I can say without fear of contradiction that countless Canadian Veterans have said those very same words to their own children and grandchildren "That's our Princess. She was born in Canada." So you see, we continue to claim you as one of our own.

But of course our affection and respect for you and your family is reinforced by your continuing devotion to helping us commemorate the sacrifices of those Canadians who fell in the liberation of your beloved nation in 1945. The bond of friendship forged in the fire of war continues to this very day.

It seems more than appropriate then that this unique statue - symbolizing the joy of freedom and the bond of friendship between nations - should stand tall in both our countries. Citizens and visitors to both Ottawa and Apeldoorn will undoubtedly pause and wonder at this evocative figure. And hopefully it will provoke conversation and discussion over the meaning of war and sacrifice, and the true test of friendship - of one country to another.

Over 7,000 Canadians gave their lives so that a country a very long way from here could be free from the yoke of tyranny and occupation. The Veterans and Dutch citizens who survived that terrible time have never forgotten their fallen heroes, and many of those veterans are here with us today. We heard the depth of those feelings expressed in the poetry of the young people's readings this morning. It is so important that we continue to express both these feelings and our gratitude for the sacrifice of those young men so very long ago.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we take note today of the sacrifices of those from a war of a previous century, let us also remember the Canadian and Dutch service men and women who continue to put themselves in harm's way for the protection of others around the world. They remain in our prayers and have our gratitude for doing what must be done for the cause of peace. We salute their courage and their dedication to upholding our values of peace, freedom, tolerance and diversity. They make us very proud indeed.

To our honoured Dutch guests today, and to our beloved Princess Margriet especially, we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generous gift today. And for your continued remembrance of Canadian sacrifice. It means the world to our Veterans and to the Canadian people. Thank you.