Vancouver Remembrance Day ceremony reflects on D-Day anniversary
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Vancouver Monday to observe the 100th Remembrance day ceremony at the Victory Square cenotaph, paying their respects to the Canadian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
This year’s somber service reflected on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, in the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Some 21,000 Canadian soldiers were involved in the initial attack, and 381 were killed in action that day.
“For most of those young Canadians, it was their first time in battle,” said Jim Stanton, co-director of ceremonies. “We will not forget those volunteer citizen soldiers who fought bravely for peace.”
By the end of the Battle of Normandy, the Canadian death toll exceeded 5,000.
Vancouver’s Remembrance Day ceremony has been observed at Victory Square since 1924, without interruption, making it the oldest annual ceremony in the city.
Officials estimate upwards of 15,000 people attend each year, rain or shine.
Co-director Doug Poitras noted that veterans of the Second World War and Korean War were among those in attendance Monday, including 101-year-old Percy J. Smith, who served in the British Merchant Navy from 1942 to 1946.
Fewer than 5,000 of the approximately one million Canadians who served in those two wars are still with us, Poitras said.
“We proudly wear our poppies to keep their memory alive,” said Poitras. “Thanks for all you have done.”
This year’s ceremony also recognized the 10th anniversary of the Oct. 22, 2014 shooting on Parliament Hill, which killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a soldier and reservist on ceremonial sentry duty, and injured three others.
The service featured several performances, including by Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs and the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services band.
The sorrowful sound of bugle call The Last Post was followed by a two-minute silence and 21-gun salute at 11 a.m.
“We can all reflect on the loss of loved ones and friends – in battle or at home from injury – and hope for peace in the future,” Stanton said.
Kari Wang, a Grade 6 student from H.T. Thrift Elementary, was this year’s winner of the Cam Cathcart Youth Poem of Remembrance award, and performed her original poem, “The Colour of Remembrance”:
If remembrance was a colour,
It would be red and white.
The colour of the Canadian flag.
If remembrance was a sound,
It would be people’s heartbeats,
The worried heartbeats of the soldiers
and the families that are waiting
for them to come home.
If remembrance was a smell,
It would be a comforting smell from home.
The cozy place that was always
welcoming to you.
If remembrance was a feeling,
It would be hopeful.
The hope of warm hugs and good friends
when you return.
If remembrance was a taste,
It would be bitter,
The bitterness of coffee without cream,
Like a family that has been split apart.
If remembrance was a place,
It would be a cenotaph.
Where names of long-ago heroes are written
on the stone for people to remember.
If remembrance has a purpose,
It is to recognize and remember all
the people that have participated in wars.
So that we could have peace and freedom.
The poetry award was created by its namesake – who served as Vancouver’s director of ceremonies for 18 years before his death in 2021 – to engage young people in Remembrance Day.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The Canadian border is an 'extreme vulnerability,' says Trump's pick; Miller predicts 'tough' talks
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he agrees with the incoming American border czar that there will be 'tough conversations' ahead.
BREAKING Republicans will retain House majority, CNN projects, completing GOP’s dominance of Washington
Republicans have secured their monopoly on power in Donald Trump’s new Washington, retaining their majority in the House of Representatives, CNN projected Wednesday, after picking up seats in California and Arizona and ushering in a dramatic new era of right-wing populist rule.
Dave Coulier, 'Full House' star, has cancer
Dave Coulier, an actor and comedian who found fame as Uncle Joey on "Full House," has revealed he has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer.
Overwhelmed families surrendering custody of their children to CAS
Overwhelmed families in Ontario are having to surrender their children to the Children's Aid Society, and according to the society, the residential crisis is part of the problem.
Trump makes a victor's return to Washington and pledges a 'smooth' transition of power from Biden
Donald Trump made a victor's return to Washington on Wednesday, visiting the White House for a nearly two-hour meeting with President Joe Biden and committing to a straightforward transition of power as the president-elect moves quickly to build out his new administration.
Guns and drugs seized from organized crime group linked to Mexican cartel, RCMP say
Members of the RCMP’s federal police say they have arrested three men in B.C. for their alleged role in a 'transnational organized crime group' connected to Mexican drug cartels importing cocaine into Canada.
'You couldn't open the door': Concerns over awareness of and access to Tesla emergency latch after 4 killed in Toronto, 5 killed in Wisconsin
When a Tesla crashed on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto last month, the first people on scene knew there were occupants inside but couldn't immediately get them out.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
High price of butter has Canadians feeling spread thin, so why are costs up?
The cost of groceries remains high across the country – including the price of an item most people have in their homes, butter.