This summary was produced using artificial intelligence and reviewed by an editor for accuracy and clarity.
Her military service started with a dare.
Liberal MPP Karen McCrimmon (Kanata-Carleton) — a Canadian Armed Forces veteran — was told by her older brother that “girls can’t do cadets.”
“So I said, oh, I’m going to join. I’m gonna go and see what this is all about,” said McCrimmon.
She joined the military through the Army Cadet Program in 1975, becoming an army reservist to pay her way through university. It would be the start of 31 years of service, becoming the Canadian Forces’ first female air navigator in 1981.
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On Remembrance Day, McCrimmon will visit her local ceremonies and legion to pay respect. She still has friends who are serving or just retiring and believes it’s important to recognize their service.
“Don’t forget their sacrifices. Don’t forget the people that made these sacrifices,” said McCrimmon. “And then don’t forget what made these sacrifices necessary.”
Life before Queen’s Park
McCrimmon was made a member of the Order of Military Merit in 1995 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1998, given command of the 429 Tactical Transport Squadron. She conducted missions on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules — a large four propeller transport aircraft.
Her job involved planning and executing a flight path using navigation equipment and other on-board systems. She was part of many disaster relief and tactical airlift missions.
She joined NATO in 2002 and did a tour in Afghanistan before retiring from the military in 2006.
“When I came back from Afghanistan I got down on my hands and knees and kissed the ground that I was lucky enough to be born in a country like Canada,” said McCrimmon.
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After her service McCrimmon started her career in politics, where she says she uses the “same approach” as her time in the military to serve her community.
When asked what she hopes people will reflect on during Remembrance Day, McCrimmon wants people to remember “how lucky we are.”
“I think that holding on to that gratitude and recognizing how lucky we are and what it cost us, I think that will help us kind of get through some of these challenging days that we’re facing right now.”
Remembrance in the legislature
Queen’s Park commemorated Remembrance Day with speeches in the legislature on Nov. 6 — as MPPs don’t sit during the week of Nov. 11.
Each MPP brandished a bright red poppy across their heart, with the house taking a moment of silence to honour those who served their country.
“I’m honoured to rise in this house, as premier of Ontario, during Remembrance week and share my gratitude to those who serve and have served in Canada’s military, including one of our great colleagues across the aisle,” said Premier Doug Ford, paying respect to McCrimmon for her service.
Meanwhile, Ford made good on a request from Canada’s most decorated citizen Lt. Gen. Richard Rohmer to engrave the name of the Ontario Veterans’ Memorial on the north side of the black granite monument at Queen’s Park — a place previously left blank — so people who pay respect can recognize it.
Rohmer chaired the committee that got the 30-metre memorial built in 2006 under premier Dalton McGuinty.
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