Poppy flower field. (Photo by David Bartus/pexels.com)
The national Remembrance Day ceremony on Parliament Hill and countless local services across the country will commemorate Canada’s fallen soldiers tomorrow.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, who also holds the title of Canada’s Commander in Chief, will attend the national remembrance ceremony held annually on Nov. 11 at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
Simon will be accompanied by this year’s National Silver Cross Mother, Candy Greff, whose son, Master Corporal Byron Greff, was killed in Afghanistan on October 29, 2011, by a suicide bomber.
The silver cross mother is nominated every year by Royal Canadian Legion Provincial Commands as a representative of all mothers of fallen Canadian soldiers. Greff was the most recent Canadian soldier to lose his life in the line of duty.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will also take part in Friday’s national ceremony by flying CF-18 Hornets and a vintage plane over the National War Memorial, the CAF National Military Cemetery, and over a number of Royal Canadian Legion locations in Ottawa between 10:50 a.m. and 12 p.m. eastern time.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not be in attendance at tomorrow’s national remembrance ceremony, as he will be flying to Cambodia on Nov. 10 to attend the ASEAN summit, where he will meet with various officials from countries in Southeast Asia.
Trudeau met with veterans and military personnel earlier this week during his trip to New Brunswick, where he also paid his respects to fallen soldiers at a cemetery.
“Throughout our country’s history, the brave women and men of the [CAF] have fought to protect the values we hold dear,” he wrote in a Twitter post on Nov. 8.
Tomorrow will mark the second time Trudeau has been absent from the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa during his time as prime minister. In 2018, he missed the ceremony while attending an international gathering of world leaders in France marking 100 years since the First World War ended.
Other Commemorations
The Canadian War Museum will be offering free admission on Nov. 11 to commemorate Remembrance Day, requiring that attendees acquire a timed ticket before arriving. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is currently offering a number of tours and events commemorating Canada’s fallen soldiers.
Aside from the national ceremony on Parliament Hill, Royal Canadian Legion locations and city halls across the country will host their own memorial services tomorrow. For a list of notable services in various provinces, see the government’s calendar of commemorative events.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
