This year’s national Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa marks the first time since 2019 that veterans and members of the Canadian Armed Forces were able to gather in the nation’s capital without pandemic restrictions to remember those who went to lose his life in the service of his country.
After a moment of silence, CF-18 Hornets flew over Parliament Hill to honor those who serve and have served Canada in the military.
- CBC News will celebrate Remembrance Day on Friday with special coverage from Ottawa, starting at 10 a.m. ET. find all the details here.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left Thursday for a series of summits in Asia and Africa, but his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau attended instead. Governor General Mary Simon is also attending this year’s ceremony in the company of National Silver Cross Mother Candy Greff.
Greff’s son, Master Cpl. Byron Greff, was the last Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan. He was killed on 29 October 2011, when a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives near the NATO armored bus he was traveling in.
“I am honored to represent those who know what it feels like to lose a child, the pain, the daily struggle, but you do it for your child,” Greff said in a media release.
Candy told the Royal Canadian Legion that she hopes to inspire young people to remember what many Canadian families lost in Afghanistan.
“I hope more children realize the meaning of the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
Simon issued a statement encouraging Canadians to remember the service and sacrifice made by Canada’s veterans.
“I urge young people in particular to take up the mantle of remembrance and learn how the sacrifice of veterans has changed the world.”
Simon said Canada, despite being a small power, earned the respect of its allies and found its voice on the world stage through the sacrifice of many brave Canadians.
“Time and time again, our members in uniform have demonstrated their courage and resilience. Our troops contributed to victories in two world wars: at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele; Normandy and Dieppe, and in many other conflicts.”
Vintage aircraft honor veterans
In a video message, Trudeau said now is a time to honor those who gave their lives so Canadians could live in “freedom, democracy, justice, security and peace.”
“Through selflessness, dedication and bravery, members of the Canadian Armed Forces and our veterans represent the values we stand for as a country,” he said.
Trudeau praised CAF members who helped after Post-Tropical Storm Fiona and are deployed in eastern Europe, at sea in the Indo-Pacific and working to train Ukrainians defending their country from Russia .
“They do it while wearing the Maple Leaf and carrying on the tradition of the veterans before them,” he said.
Members of the Massed Pipes and Drums march down Elgin Street as they surround the National War Memorial in Ottawa. (CBC)
CAF Chaplain General Brig.-Gen. Guy Bélisle invited the crowd to reflect on the sacrifice veterans have made to protect Canada and also to consider the CAF members who continue to put their lives on the line for their country.
“Every sacrifice is etched in the cement of this country and should never be forgotten,” he said. “May we all be inspired and full of admiration for all those who have given us so much.”
Rabbi Scher addressed the crowd saying that those in attendance and around the country knew what they lost and what they sacrificed for their country.
“The bravest of our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, partners, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, these heroic souls stood guard sacrificing their lives, their bodies, their minds, to the last part of who they were,” he said. said
The Ottawa ceremony also featured the hymn God Save the King for the first time since Queen Elizabeth’s death in September.
During God Save the King, there was a special flyover of vintage military aircraft over Parliament Hill, with each aircraft painted in honor of a Canadian veteran. Vintage aircraft that took part in the flypast include:
- A P-51 Mustang, which will be painted in honor of Larry and Rocky Robillard, who flew with 422 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II.
- A British Hawker Hurricane, which will honor Flying Officer William Lidstone McKnight, who served with No. 242 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
- A Supermarine Spitfire MK XII, which will be painted in honor of Arnold Roseland, a Canadian pilot who flew 65 times with RCAF 442 Squadron before being shot down and killed over Normandy in 1944.
“Each of these aircraft played an important role supporting troops on the ground during the Second World War, including the ill-fated 1942 raid on the heavily defended French port. [at Dieppe],” the Royal Canadian Legion said in a media release.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, a battle that claimed the lives of over 900 Canadian soldiers. It is often described as the Canadian Army’s bloodiest day of the war.
To commemorate the anniversary, a glass case has been placed at the foot of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa containing a Red Ensign flag recovered from Dieppe Beach in 1942 by an American soldier. It was kept by his family for decades before recently being donated to the Royal Canadian Legion.
The flag was 70 years old when it appeared on the battlefield. No one knows for sure how he got to Dieppe.
This Red Ensign flag recovered from Dieppe Beach in 1942 by an American soldier was kept by his family for decades before it was recently donated to the Royal Canadian Legion. (CBC)
While this year marks the 80th anniversary of Dieppe, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s Remembrance Day message notes that Canada is also celebrating other famous anniversaries this year.
“This year marks the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Battle of Passchendaele in the First World War, both pivotal victories against the enemies of freedom that were won through the courage and sacrifice of Canadian military heroes.”
Poilievre said the freedom Canadians enjoy was bought at great sacrifice by “brave men and women who answered the call to defend freedom and defend peace and justice.”
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces, past and present, gather Friday at the War Memorial in Ottawa to mark Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of Dieppe. (CBC)
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement that veterans past and present, “men, women, Indigenous peoples, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community all proudly serve Canadians equally.”
Echoing Trudeau’s message that CAF members play an important role both domestically and internationally, Singh said Canada’s military remains the country’s pride.
“They support others, whether they were called to care for seniors living in long-term care homes during the worst of the pandemic, helping families in Atlantic Canada with the devastating effects of Hurricane Fiona and the British Columbia with floods or wildfires, or make invaluable contributions to help in global crises,” he said.
How to follow Remembrance Day on CBC
tv
Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton will host coverage of the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
You can watch it on CBC News Network or CBC-TV starting at 10:00 ET.
radio
Join World Report’s Matt Galloway and Marcia Young as they host the Remembrance Day ceremony from the National War Memorial in Ottawa, starting at 10:55 am ET.
Coverage will include a moment of silence and the laying of a wreath by this year’s Silver Cross Mother, who talks to The Current’s Galloway about her son.
On line
You can watch Barton’s coverage on CBC Gem or the CBC News app. CBC.ca will broadcast the events live and will have regular updates of the coverage online.