Remembrance Day: Remembering, Reflecting, and Recommitting to Justice
On Remembrance Day, we pause to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who have served and continue to serve in the name of peace, justice, and freedom. Across the globe and here at home, millions have risked and lost their lives so that others might live free from oppression and fear. Their legacy compels us to ask ourselves not only what we remember, but also how we act.
Today, the world is marked by escalating climate and environmental crises—wildfires, floods, and droughts displacing millions, erasing homes and histories. The rise of hate-driven violence, anti-democratic movements, war, and the erosion of hard-won civil liberties threatens the peace and security so many gave their lives to defend. Fascism and open racism, transphobia, and intensified pushback against justice and equity are rising, too often targeting those who are already most vulnerable: Indigenous peoples, Black and racialized communities, queer and trans folk, people with disabilities, the poor, and the displaced.
Remembrance Day is not only about the past; it is a call to truth in our own time. In Canada, we must reckon with the fact that peace, justice, and freedom are unequally distributed. Generations of Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotians have sustained this province through war and peace yet still face persistent inequities. Rural Nova Scotians, like many across Canada, continue to navigate poverty, exclusion, and environmental threats that shape life as much as any formal conflict. The backlash against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts is a reminder of how incomplete our journey truly is.
And yet, the work continues, in our streets, schools, faith communities, and at our kitchen tables; building bridges between old divisions, strengthening food security for all, confronting racism and ableism, fostering new leaders, and reimagining how to care for land and neighbour alike. The Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia and its partners are just one example of those striving every day to make equity, justice, and sustainability real—not just ideals.
On this Remembrance Day, let us recommit: to a peace that is active, a justice that is inclusive, and a freedom that everyone can experience, right here at home and for generations to come. Our remembering only matters if it is tied to action and hope—work we do together, every single day.
