A true Canadian hero is going to be the keynote speaker at the Lest We Forget tribute dinner this November.
Miramichi native Kevin Vickers is the former Sergeant-At-Arms for the House of Commons, and is credited for ending the spree of lone gunman Michael Zehaf Bibeau last fall.
Honorary Event Chair Robert Irving says it’s great to have a New Brunswicker deliver the keynote address.
The hero event that he carried out there in Parliament Hill speaks volumes about him as an individual and to have him speak at this event is a great accomplishment,” says Irving.
When it comes to Vickers, Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc says “it’s quite evident he’s a very thoughtful person, very well spoken and has a tremendous breadth of experience behind him, so I think it’s a real coup to have him coming back to New Brunswick.”
Vickers himself says he knew he wanted to serve his country ever since he saw a Mountie in Grade 2.
“I saw my first Mounted Policeman dressed in red serge, and I knew then and there exactly what I was going to do with my life, that is, serve Canada being a member of the RCMP,” says Vickers.
As it turned out, Vickers served 29 years with the RCMP where he led a number of high profile investigations, however his service to Canada did not end there.
In 2006 he was appointed House of Commons Sergeant-At-Arms, a position he vacated in 2016, just a few months after he shot and killed Michael Zehaf Bibeau who stormed Parliament Hill last fall.
Vickers is now serving as the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland.
Lest We Forget is a fundraiser and military exhibit taking place November 10th and 11th this year to recognize and remember all New Brunswickers who have served and sacrificed for their country.
The dinner at the Coliseum aims to raise $500,000 dollars to help support programs like the Cadet Youth, the Military Families Fund, and the Moncton Fallen Members Fund of the RCMP Foundation among others.
