(l-r) Hon. Peter MacKay, MND, is greeted by our National President, VAdm (Ret'd) Gary Garnett, and our Honourary Chairperson, Hon. RAdm (Ret'd) Fred Mifflin.

The Navy League of Canada recently held its third biennial Navy Appreciation Day on Parliament Hill on February 25th of this year. Building on our past two events and our ongoing contact with government on maritime matters, Navy Appreciation Day was a resounding success.

The most visible component of Navy Appreciation Day is the reception, held on the 25th in the beautiful ballroom known as 200 West Block. This event brought well over 200 guests, including both House and Senate Speakers, several Cabinet Ministers, Senators, MPs, industry executives and senior Navy and Coast Guard Leadership. Guests enjoyed fine food from Thyme & Again Catering, live Jazz from the Garrett Leaver Jazz Trio and a stunning array of images from the Canadian Forces Combat Camera. The party received a glowing review in The Hill Times and brought high praise from all who participated.

(See: Online Photo Album)

While the reception provided the opportunity to get reacquainted with many old friends, and make new ones as well, the real substance of Navy Appreciation Day was the advocacy meetings that surrounded the reception. The Navy League has met with close to thirty Senators and MPs to discuss the benefits that a National Shipbuilding Plan would bring for our economy, defence and security.

(See: Shipbuilding Crisis, Procurement Reform, and A National Shipbuilding Plan issue papers)

Navy Appreciation Day is a non-partisan activity, and we would like to thank our parliamentary co-sponsors: The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence; The Honourable Terry Mercer, Senator; The Honourable Hugh Segal, Senator; The Honourable Doctor Keith Martin, MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca; and, Peter Stoffer, MP for Sackville-Eastern Shore.

Parliamentary Co-Sponsors Senator Terry Mercer and Peter Stoffer, MP show that when it comes to shipbuilding, all parties can agree.