Peace Officer Memorial
Honouring the
memory of Alberta's Police and Peace Officers fallen in the Line of
Duty.
The Memorial Service was on September 30, 2007,
Alberta Legislative Grounds
A new Memorial Monument was unveiled on July 18, 2006, on the Alberta legislative grounds. [Click Here] to
experience the memorial.
Please visit the the links below to view photographs of and get more information on the monument.
2008 Speech Transcript
His Honor, the Honorable Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Norman KWONG and his wife Mary KWONG, Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security Honorable Fred LINDSAY, honored quest, families of fallen officersÕ, fellow police and peace officers, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls good afternoon and welcome to the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Memorial Day 2008.
I am here today on behalf of the rank and file police officers throughout the Province of Alberta.
Under the dome of this Legislature, men and women of every generation have sworn to protect the citizens of this Province and today we stand here to honor these officers who daily place their lives on the line to serve and protect the people of the Province of Alberta.
Being here today on this sunny September afternoon, we give thanks to all the 5000 sworn law enforcement and peace officers now serving in our Province. They serve in small towns and in large cities, they serve on the unpaved country roads and on the paved highways, they are the blue line.
On this day we pay special tribute to those members who are not here with us today, at a point where the blue line became even thinner.
We gather today to pay homage to the law enforcement and peace officers who have given their lives so that we may all live in safety.
The ages of heroes have not passed well if youÕre still looking for heroes---look around. Look at your next door neighbor, the woman whom you see teaching her daughter to ride a bike outside her house, the man who invites you over for a barbeque on Canada Day. For it could well be that these men and women don their uniforms and badges, and put their lives at risk for the rest of us. Some of these heroes paid with the ultimate price. We honor them not because of how they died, but because of how they lived.
Today we honor all the true heroes who made the supreme sacrifice of their tomorrows so that we might live in peace today. But let us not forget that they are not the only ones who made a sacrifice. Now they are in a better place, but their mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters are left behind to carry on and find meaning in their tragedy. Today many of these families are here with us. It was you who gave a smile as you saw your loved ones off in the mornings, and whispered a silent prayer that you would see them return that evening. But some evenings stretched into endless night, and sometimes the mornings never comes.
Words are of cold comfort at a time like this. No speech, no flag, no ceremony can bring back those who are dearest to us, those who made your families, your hearts, your lives complete. Yet, just as you were always with them when they walked the beat or patrolled the streets, know that they will always be with you---wherever you may be.
We rarely know when a hero walks among us and yet among those who gathered here today are officers who have been honored for their bravery and dedication to their chosen occupation. On behalf of all of the Police and Peace officers of Alberta I would ask that we remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
