Pre-pandemic, across the East Coast, thousands would be heading down to their local Royal Canadian Legion on a Friday or Saturday night.
They’d be going there for a wedding where “Old Time Rock and Roll” will fill the dance floor with all ages, or for a buttery lobster dinner where shiny white bibs are uniform, or to simply sip a rum and coke in one of those small pear-shaped glasses.
For many, especially in smaller Atlantic towns, the Legion is a place to gather with larger crowds or unwind and share a laugh with old friends.
The building is a community focal point where delights and dialogue are abundant.
Of course, and more importantly, offering those services helps fund the Legion’s mission to support veterans, their families and our communities.
The 95-year-old organization co-ordinates the National Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa as well as thousands of other Remembrance activities across the land.
Generations have not forgotten the sacrifices Canadian soldiers made during wars and peacekeeping missions, because of the Legion’s efforts.
The organization enables us to look into the eyes of a veteran and say thanks while buying a poppy, and to embrace the poignancy — and power — of an aging, decorated soldier covered in a blanket with teary eyes as the Last Post is played Nov. 11.
Sadly, the pandemic is putting our Legions at risk.
“I am witnessing extreme stress across the country over the possibility of Legion branches disappearing, one by one,” Thomas D. Irvine, Dominion president of the Royal Canadian Legion, wrote in an op-ed submission this week.
Irvine feels Ottawa is dragging its heels on aid for the 1,381 Legion branch across Canada.
Irvine explained most branches were ineligible for Ottawa emergency funding. Those that were successful did so through a loan program.
“Like any loan, it must be repaid,” he said. “While a portion will be forgiven, unless a particular branch can recover, it is a potentially risky undertaking at this time.”
Irvine said he wrote Prime Minister Justin Trudeau twice but received no response. He added he met with Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay, who was understanding of the Legion’s plight.
The organization was hopeful after a TV report on the matter and correspondence with Veterans Affairs Canada that something was coming.
But that something hasn’t come yet.
“But with a time estimate of ‘soon’ and no details, we wait,” Irvine wrote, “while more branches teeter on the brink of permanent closure, not knowing whether the promised aid package will even hit the mark.”
Noting Legions need an unprecedented level of help, Irvine remained optimistic government would follow through with the promised help.
With the situation so dire, it is time for Ottawa to deliver on its pledge.
Yes, as the pandemic continues, government is facing unprecedented demands for funding from all corners.
But Canada cannot simply afford to lose its Legions and the value they give veterans and communities.
If lost, what could ever replace the essential role they play educationally and socially? Who would take up the torch and commit to remembering those who wore the Canadian flag on the battlefield or a peacekeeping mission?
As Irvine concluded, “Lest we forget it is our veterans’ sacrifices that laid the very foundations of this fortunate society we call Canada.”
