OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 09/30/12 -- The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement today, on the occasion of the Canadian Police and Peace Officers' 35th Annual Memorial Service.

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am honoured to pay tribute to the lives, service and sacrifice of the Canadian officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Police and peace officers play a vital role in serving our communities and keeping them safe. They maintain order, fight crime, manage our corrections systems, defend our natural resources, protect our borders and help our communities deal with emergencies.

More than 820 officers now have their names engraved on the Honour Roll in the Memorial Pavilion on Parliament Hill. These brave individuals made the supreme sacrifice in service to their communities. Their contributions cannot and must not be forgotten.

The glass panels that make up the Memorial are a lasting tribute and ensure that future generations will be reminded of the tragic price that others have paid to keep our communities safe. The names listed there are seen by tens of thousands of visitors to Parliament Hill each year. Inevitably, when they come across the memorial, people pause for a few minutes to contemplate what it means and show respect for the fallen.

All Canadians mourn the death of police and peace officers, but none feel the loss more personally, more profoundly and more painfully than their families and colleagues. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, especially, today. I speak on behalf of all Canadians when I say that we will remain forever grateful for the lives, service and sacrifice of your loved ones.

To our police and peace officers across the country and serving in countries abroad, we express our deep gratitude for your dedication to keeping our families safe and making our communities better places to live, work and raise our children."

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