Alberta’s veterans’ licence plates don’t come with special privileges, but that doesn’t mean they go unnoticed.
Lt.-Gov. Donald Ethell, a veteran of 14 international peacekeeping missions, has had his poppy plate since they were first introduced in 2005.
“Believe it or not, some of the people who are driving — who are maybe conscious of somebody a little older — will yield to you,” Ethell said.
“I’m not saying that we take advantage of that, but it is important.”
On Monday, the province extended the same opportunity to current members of the Armed Forces.
Starting Aug. 16, anyone who has at least three years of military service can apply for a plate adorned with a poppy and the word “veteran” on the bottom.
The move won praise from veterans, historians and soldiers.
Master Cpl. Michael Mroch, a full-time reservist based at the Jefferson Armory, said the plate will be a chance to display his pride in the military.
“I’m really proud of my service with the Canadian Forces, I would never change it for anything else. It’s helped me to get where I am in life,” Mroch said.
“I just want to show it off a little more.”
Mroch, a combat engineer, served one tour in Afghanistan and two tours in Bosnia before that.
So far, the province has issued roughly 18,000 veterans plates and expects to give out another 6,500 as a result of Monday’s announcement.
The plates don’t come with any special privileges, though veterans can park for free in Lethbridge and Red Deer.
The plates are the most recent in a string of announcements from the government to reach out to the military.
In 2009, the government passed legislation to ensure reservists can retain their jobs when they return from duty overseas.
The government also held a caucus meeting at CFB Edmonton and deputy premier Doug Horner was recently named as the government’s liaison with the Armed Forces, a first in Alberta.
Premier Ed Stelmach said the plates should help give the military a higher profile in the province.
“We have a large contingent of armed forces in the City of Edmonton, the province of Alberta,” Stelmach said.
“It’s just one way of acknowledging the tremendous contribution of our Armed Forces in an extremely difficult situation.”
Jack Granatstein, a prominent Canadian military historian, said he supports the licence plates, both for former and current members of the Canadian Forces.
“I just think it’s useful in this very unmilitary country of ours to have some way to show that some people have served and are serving.”
Because of the Afghan mission, Granatstein said, there is some evidence that Canadians are embracing the military in a more visible manner.
He pointed to the renaming of a number of Ontario highways, including the Highway of Heroes between Trenton and Toronto, as evidence.
For Harvey Shevalier — past president of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Alberta-Northwest Territories command — displaying the plate is a point of immense pride.
“Oh, it’s the greatest thing in the world,” Shevalier said.
“If you’re shopping at a mall or something and see one, just ask (the driver). He’ll tell you in a big hurry.”
Source [edmontonjournal]
