Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon was presented with the first poppy of this year’s annual Royal Canadian Legion fundraiser in the Blue Room at the Legislative Building, by Comrade Ronn Anderson. Soon more than 19 million Canadians will be wearing the poppy blossom on their lapels.
“Thank you for coming today and thank you for supporting our veterans,” Filmon said.
Anderson is the chair of the poppy campaign for the Royal Canadian Legion, Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario Command.
The annual presentation to the lieutenant-governor sets the stage for the Poppy Campaign to officially get under way on Oct. 30 as the Poppy Campaign always begins on the last Friday of October.
“It’s going to be a challenge this year,” Anderson said in-regards to the poppy campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the press release, the poppy is distributed by the legion’s branches and funds collected go into branch poppy trust funds. These funds can only be used under strict guidelines set up by the Poppy and Remembrance Committee of Dominion Command to improve life for people in the communities where the money is raised.
The poppies are intended to honour the more than 117,000 Canadians who have died in the service of their country throughout the world.
Since 1921, the poppy has stood as the symbol of remembrance, a visual pledge to never forget those Canadians who have fallen in war and military support operations. The poppy also stands internationally as a ‘symbol of collective reminiscence’, as other countries have also adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“Wearing the poppy demonstrates our understanding of Canada’s national debt of gratitude owed to all veterans,” Filmon said in a prepared statement. “It will be my honour to accept and wear the campaign’s first poppy, and I invite all Manitobans to join me in honouring the sacrifices so many have made in defending the values and freedoms we enjoy as Canadians.”
The poppy campaign runs until Nov. 10.
