Canadians are gathering for Remembrance Day ceremonies on Nov. 11, with the national observance in Ottawa marking 25 years since the start of the Afghanistan war and taking place weeks after four soldiers died in a training accident in Alberta.

Three Second World War veterans are expected at the Ottawa ceremony, according to The Canadian Press in a report published by CityNews. Prime Minister Mark Carney, Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour and other dignitaries are scheduled to lay wreaths at the National War Memorial.

About 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in Afghanistan, and 159 lost their lives. The mission lasted more than 12 years, making it the longest conflict in Canadian history and the country’s largest troop deployment since the Second World War.

This year also marks the Royal Canadian Legion’s centennial. Founded in 1926, the organization brought veterans’ benefits advocacy under one main group. The Royal Military College is marking its 150th anniversary, with about 300 cadets expected to attend the parade — roughly 200 more than usual.

CF-18 fighter jets and a Black Hawk helicopter are scheduled to fly over the national ceremony. Griffon, Chinook and Cormorant helicopters, along with other Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft, are set to conduct flyovers at local ceremonies across Canada.

At Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, a separate ceremony is planned following last month’s fatal fire. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to attend alongside military members, veterans and other dignitaries.

Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark died after strong winds swept a grass fire across the training area from an automatic grenade launcher range. Three investigations, including one by military police, are examining the accident.

National Defence’s latest update, issued Nov. 4, said 25 of the 39 injured people remained in hospital and 14 had been released.

In Ottawa, this year’s Silver Cross Mother, Virginia Hicks, will lay a wreath on behalf of mothers who lost a child who served in the military. Hicks’s daughter died in a training incident at CFB Petawawa in 2002. The Legion selected Hicks months before the Wainwright fire.

Sources