About a hundred people gathered at Place du Canada in downtown Montreal on Wednesday to honour Canada’s war veterans and those who died in service, with participants also remembering four soldiers killed in a recent training accident.

The Remembrance Day ceremony unfolded under sunny skies, with a military parade and the national anthem shortly before 11 a.m., according to reporting by Charlotte Glorieux of The Canadian Press, published by Global News. Some attendees sang along as bells rang from nearby St. George’s Anglican Church.

Those gathered were asked to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., marking the moment fighting ended in the First World War on Nov. 11, 1918. A 21-gun salute echoed through the area, while bagpipes played near the war memorial.

Dignitaries and military representatives laid wreaths at the monument, including Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada on behalf of Montreal. Some participants saluted; others bowed their heads.

One wreath honoured the four soldiers killed last month when a grass fire swept through a training area at CFB Wainwright in Alberta. Another 39 people were injured.

“Serving in the military is inherently risky. What happened in Wainwright last month is another reminder,” retired lieutenant-colonel Colin Robinson said.

Robinson also described remembrance as an opportunity to consider the dangers of war amid current global tensions. Reflecting on the passing of older generations, he recalled regularly meeting Second World War veterans after joining his regiment in 1989.

“I think we kind of took it for granted,” he said. “You don’t realize that it’s going to go away.”

Col. Lisa Pacarynuk, chaplain general of the Canadian Armed Forces, spoke about lives cut short, separated families and war’s enduring physical and emotional wounds.

Pierre Saint-Louis, who served in the Canadian Navy and infantry before becoming a lawyer, said remembrance should include support for living veterans and the families of military personnel serving overseas. A Royal Canadian Legion member, he said he wanted the organization to do more for military families, particularly those with loved ones deployed abroad.

As the ceremony ended shortly before noon, some attendees removed poppies from their coats and placed them at the foot of the monument.

Sources