George Kearney says Canada wouldn't be what it is today without the men and women who served their country at war.
Kearney on Thursday helped remember Canada's veterans, kicking off the Royal Canadian Legion's annual poppy campaign with a flag-raising ceremony at city hall.
"It's about the veterans of Canada, in particular those who paid the supreme sacrifice during the wars that Canada has been engaged in -- the First World War, the Second World War, Korea, peacekeeping operations and most recently Afghanistan," Kearney said.
The campaign is an important part in the Legion's fundraising program, with money donated between now and Remembrance Day put in public trust funds and used to improve life for everyone in the community.
The money goes to a wide variety of causes, including providing assistance to needy ex-service members and their families, purchasing medical equipment and appliances for community health facilities, paying for medical research and training, affordable housing for veterans and senior citizens, bursaries for needy students and providing support to senior citizens in a variety of different ways.
"The donations are used to assist veterans across the country," Kearney said.
Keeping their memory alive is of utmost importance, he added.
"I think a great many Canadian citizens gave their lives fighting for their country in the campaigns we were involved in. In particular we remember the veterans of the Second World War and recognize the sacrifice they have made, some the extreme sacrifice."
Coun. Iain Angus, the city's acting mayor while Mayor Keith Hobbs is on vacation, said the city fully supports the efforts and for good reason.
"We have a long history of sending our young men and women off to war and to serve and it's our way of showing that we celebrate what they've done for us," Angus said.
"Those who returned from the First World War and those who returned from the Second World War, Korea and most recently Afghanistan, they're a solid part of the community. And we wouldn't be the community we are today without them."
