Lieutenant-governor receives first poppy to kick off annual campaign

It’s time for people to once again pin an iconic red flower on their lapels.

Saskatchewan Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty and his wife, Donna, received the first two poppies of the year Friday morning at Government House, symbolizing the start of the Royal Canadian Legion’s 2019 poppy campaign in Saskatchewan.

As a veteran of the RCMP, Mirasty said he has taken part in similar ceremonies before, but this one is special, given his new title.

“It’s more poignant, I suppose, because of the office that I hold now,” he said. “Receiving a poppy on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan is really meaningful.”

Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty and his wife, Donna, received the first two poppies of the @RoyalCdnLegion 2019 Poppy Campaign in #Sask. this morning at Government House. Donna’s father and uncles served in the Second World War. #yqr pic.twitter.com/NNP2hYH797

— Jessie Anton (@jessieanton_) October 25, 2019

Because Donna’s father and uncles served in the Second World War, she noted it felt extra important to be a part of the ceremony in advance of Remembrance Day.

“It’s a very great honour and I will cherish this. This is a very good memory for everybody, for my relatives,” she said. “Both my parents would have loved this.”

Donna and her family are from the northern community of Cumberland House, which — during the Second World War — had the highest per-capita enlistment by Indigenous Peoples in Saskatchewan. It’s a fact that makes her proud.

“We had our own legion. My father and other legion members started a legion there, and they always held a service,” Donna remembered. “If we had someone who had come home (from war) who had passed, we always went to the graveyard as part of the service to remember.

“They gave us freedom — it was freedom of speech, freedom to do things. And that’s what my father always said: ‘We fought for our freedom.’ ”

Poppies are now available at grocery stores and cafes across Saskatchewan. The funds raised through donations goes towards programs that help local veterans.