Marking the sacrifices made by those who have fought and died for Canada on Remembrance Day “connects us across generations,” Governor General Louise Arbour said, inviting Canadians to “pause and reflect” on this sombre day.
“As commander-in-chief, I invite all Canadians to pause and reflect on the courage and dedication of the Canadian Armed Forces members, and on the sacrifices borne by their families and communities,” Arbour said in a statement Wednesday.
The day is “a reminder of the terrible human cost of war and of our responsibility to uphold peace, human dignity and the rule of law,” she said.
“Remembrance connects us across generations,” Arbour added.
The National Remembrance Day ceremony is being held at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa, where Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to attend at 10:45 a.m. Eastern.
The ceremony will begin with a veterans’ march, followed by the arrival of various dignitaries including the Speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate, the minister of veterans affairs, the chief of the defence staff, the Silver Cross Mother and the governor general, who will receive the vice-regal salute and inspect the assembled troops for the commemoration.
Global News will be streaming special live coverage of the national ceremony here.
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The marching contingent is scheduled to form up at 10:10 a.m. Eastern, with the step off scheduled at 10:30 a.m.
The ceremony will conclude with the veterans’ march-past at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
This year, Remembrance Day has the “added weight” of the four soldiers killed in a fire during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright, Arbour said.
“Our thoughts remain with the soldiers we lost, those who were wounded, as well as the families, friends, comrades and all others affected by this tragic event,” she said.
Pte. Shaun Farrell, 23, Pte. Aidan Goulding, 23, Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19 and Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, died in the Oct. 17 blaze at the military base, which is southeast of Edmonton.
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