CBC News Special: Remembrance DayCBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault hosts special coverage of the national Remembrance Day ceremony from Ottawa.The LatestCanadians are gathering in cities and towns across the country today to pause and pay tribute on Remembrance Day.CBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault is hosting special coverage of the national Remembrance Day ceremony from Ottawa, starting at 10 a.m. ET.The event will include two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. ET. There will also be a 21-gun salute and a wreath-laying ceremony. People are then encouraged to remove the red poppies from their clothing and place them on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. UpdatesNovember 116 minutes agoThe shifting meaning of the Unknown SoldierVerity StevensonWill there be another unknown soldier? With much of Canada’s Remembrance Day ceremony taking place around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, CBC’s Murray Brewster breaks down its history, symbolism and the challenge to maintain its sanctity as technology evolves. Hi, I’m Verity, a reporter based in Montreal. I’ll be curating live updates on this page today. I also wanted to highlight a story by my colleague on Parliament Hill, Murray Brewster, which looks into the meaning of Canada’s Unknown Soldier, whose tomb sits near the National War Memorial in Ottawa. This casualty of the First World War, whose identity remains a mystery, died on a French battlefield more than a century ago, Murray writes. The soldier’s anonymity represents all those who died in service whose names are not known. But advances in DNA sequencing, genetic databases and identification methods mean unidentified remains are much more likely to be identified in future wars, raising the question of how we memorialize war and loss in the digital age.You can read the story here. 12 minutes agoThe Last Post in HalifaxNatalie StechysonA large crowd stood for the national anthem at 11 a.m. local time at Halifax’s Grand Parade to honour all those who have served.A military member played The Last Post as the clock chimed the hour. That was followed by ceremonial gun shots and silence, and then bagpipes.“Age shall not weary them,” read a military member from the poem For the Fallen.Chaplain Steven Cochrane then led the group in prayer.“We remember those who died, not for war, but for a world that could be at peace,” he said.13 minutes agoNew stamp honours Sikh Canadian soldiers Sarah PetzRemembrance Day stamp honours Canadian Sikh soldiersA new Canada Post stamp pays tribute to Sikh soldiers and honours their service in the Canadian military dating back to the First World War. Sikh Remembrance Day ceremony organizer Sandeep Singh Brar discusses the contributions of early Canadian Sikh soldiers, many of whom fought despite facing discrimination at home. The annual Sikh Remembrance Day honours the service and contributions of Sikh soldiers in the Canadian military dating back to the First World War.This year, a new Canada Post stamp paying tribute to Sikh Canadian soldiers was unveiled during a ceremony in Kitchener, Ont., marking the day, which took place this year on Nov. 2. The stamp features an illustration of a Sikh Canadian soldier with an image of the grave of Pte. Buckam Singh in the background. Singh was one of only 10 Sikhs permitted to serve in the Canadian army in the First World War. 15 minutes agoThe King led Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in the U.K. John Paul TaskerBritain’s King Charles III attends the Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph in London, Sunday. (Alastair Grant/Pool via The Associated Press)The Remembrance Day tradition is a bit different in the U.K. The national ceremony is typically held on the Sunday nearest to Nov. 11.Like here in Ottawa, the ceremony involves music — The Last Post is a staple there, too, but also uniquely British hymns, like I Vow To Thee, My Country. A wreath-laying also takes place at the Cenotaph in central London.The King is the first to lay a wreath — paying tribute to those who fought in His Majesty’s Armed Forces — followed by other members of the Royal Family.The London event doesn’t just honour British soldiers who fought and died in conflicts but also servicemembers from the Commonwealth. Many Canadians were assigned to British-led units or the British Royal Air Force in the First and Second World Wars.Canada’s High Commissioner to the U.K., Ralph Goodale, was given a prominent position just off to the side from the Cenotaph and he laid a wreath to honour the Canadian war dead. It had a simple inscription: “Lest we forget.” 31 minutes agoSombre ceremonies in N.L.Natalie StechysonThe Remembrance Day ceremony in St. John’s is shown in this screengrab taken from a live stream. (CBC)I’m Natalie Stechyson, a senior writer with CBC News. I’ll be helping with some of our regional coverage today.Canada’s ceremonies kicked off in Newfoundland around 11 a.m. local time, with a mournful version of The Last Post, bagpipes, silence, then readings and songs at the National War Memorial in St. John’s.“We will remember them, we will remember them,” said a military member, reading the poem For the Fallen.People gathered to mark Remembrance Day despite storm warnings that moved other ceremonies indoors. In St. John’s, the Remembrance Day parade was cancelled, but the main ceremony still went ahead.33 minutes agoGovernor General is in hospitalJohn Paul TaskerGov. Gen. Mary Simon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa earlier this fall. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)Good morning. I’m J.P. Tasker, a reporter in the parliamentary bureau. Remembrance Day is one of the most important days on Gov. Gen. Mary Simon’s calendar — she is the commander in chief of our armed forces after all. But unfortunately, she’s in hospital today due to a respiratory virus. Rideau Hall tells us she’s doing well. The chief justice of the Supreme Court, Richard Wagner, who is also the designated deputy Governor General, will step in for her today at the ceremony at the National War Memorial. He will accompany Nancy Payne, this year’s Silver Cross Mother.38 minutes agoThe little-known role Halifax played in WW IISarah PetzA convoy in Halifax’s Bedford Basin on April 1, 1942. (National Archives of Canada, PA-112993)As war raged in Europe during the Second World War, Halifax played a key role in ensuring the Allied nations’ success through a key mission you’ve probably never heard of. Operation Fish involved a series of naval ships transporting Britain’s wealth to safety in Canada to safeguard it in the event the British Isles were overcome militarily by the Nazis. If that happened, British prime minister Winston Churchill expected that if the war continued, “it would be continued by the Empire countries, the Commonwealth, including of course Canada,” said Paul Doerr, a professor of history at Acadia University.”That’s why the gold reserves moved out, to enable those countries to carry on the war, to finance the war.”The mission saw the naval ships carrying British gold and securities transported through the Halifax harbour, before the assets made their way to the Bank of Canada vaults in Ottawa. You can read more about it in this feature by CBC Nova Scotia reporter Vernon Ramesar.39 minutes agoIndigenous Veterans Day honours unique history and sacrifice Sarah PetzCBC’s Linda Ward speaks with Ray Deer on the meaning and impact of Indigenous Veterans Day in CanadaGet the latest on CBCNews.ca, the CBC News App, and CBC News Network for breaking news and analysis.Saturday marked Indigenous Veterans Day across Canada, a day that not only honours the contributions and sacrifices of the thousands of First Nations, Métis and Inuit who served in the Canadian Armed Forces, but serves as a way to acknowledge the injustices and discrimination they faced during and after military service. It was first observed in Winnipeg on Nov. 8, 1993, in response to an incident two years earlier where Indigenous veterans were prohibited from placing a wreath at the national Remembrance Day ceremony. On Nov. 11, 1991, a group of Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) veterans attempted to lay a wreath during the national ceremony in Ottawa but were refused. They were also prohibited from laying wreaths at cenotaphs or entering Legion halls to celebrate with fellow soldiers.Though Indigenous veterans were eventually allowed to take part in the annual ceremony, Indigenous Veterans Day continues to be marked every Nov. 8 around the country.You can read more about Indigenous Veterans Day here. 40 minutes agoWho is the Silver Cross mother?Sarah PetzNancy Payne, who is from Landsdowne, Ont., is the Silver Cross Mother this year. She will place a wreath at the National War Memorial today on behalf of all Canadian mothers who have lost a child in Canadian military service. (Submitted/Royal Canadian Legion)Each year on this day, a wreath is laid on the National War Memorial by a mother who has been bestowed with the Memorial Cross medal, also known as the Silver Cross. The medal is given to someone whose child has died while serving in the military — to mark their personal loss and sacrifice. Nancy Payne of Lansdowne, Ont., was chosen by the Royal Canadian Legion this year for the honour. Payne’s son Randy was killed in action in Afghanistan on April 22, 2006, when a roadside bomb struck the military G-Wagon he was in. He is survived by his wife, Jody, and two young children, according to a bio on the legion’s website. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2003. Nancy’s husband, David, and son Chris also served with the Canadian Army, and their extended family has a long history of military service. 50 minutes agoHow the national Remembrance Day ceremony will unfold Sarah PetzCF-18 fighter jets perform a flypast at last year’s Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)Hi, I’m Sarah Petz, a writer based in Toronto. The national Remembrance Day events start at about 10:30 a.m. ET when veterans begin their march through downtown Ottawa, while dignitaries — including the prime minister, Governor General and Silver Cross Mother — begin arriving at the National War Memorial for the start of the ceremony. The ceremony includes the national anthem, two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., a 21-gun salute and a wreath-laying ceremony. Afterward, people are encouraged to remove the red poppies from their coats and place them on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is next to the war memorial.
LIVE UPDATES: Canada marks Remembrance Day with ceremonies honouring veterans, fallen soldiers
