Article content continued

“It’s great to see Minister Fantino show leadership in directing MPs to focus on Remembrance.”

On Thursday, a coalition of veterans’ groups called for a boycott of political photo ops. Our Duty is asking the same of both politicians and the press.

“As the Minister said, this is about Remembrance, not politics. Given his feelings, I expect Minister Fantino will avoid the media until after the 11th,” said Rose-Martland, “We think all politicians should follow his lead.”

Our Duty is asking politicians across Canada to give up the limelight and avoid the press. “All Remembrance coverage should focus solely on those that serve our nation,” said the president, “Exploiting veterans for political gain is offensive. It dishonours those that have sacrificed for Canada, and doing so at memorial services is offensive to those who have Fallen. It’s an issue that comes up every year, and we are happy to see the Veterans’ Minister say that it is wrong.”

Mr. Rose-Martland said, “Our Duty recognizes that not every politician has Mr. Fantino’s integrity, and may be tempted to speak to the media, or pose for pictures, and so on. Therefore, we are not only asking politicians refrain, Our Duty is also calling on the fourth estate to help. We are asking journalists to ignore the politicians, and for cameras to avoid taking pictures of politicians. We are hoping the print and broadcasters will choose their footage carefully, in order to keep the focus on veterans and their families.”

Our Duty said, “This is about dedication, not exploitation. It is about service and sacrifice, not being hijacked to score political points. These services are not for being seen, but to actually remember. We call on all of Canada to keep the focus on veterans.”