Remembrance Day is observed across Canada every November 11 to honour the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, in the country’s armed forces. The date marks the armistice that ended fighting in the First World War on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.
At 11 a.m., Canadians pause for two minutes of silence. Ceremonies take place at cenotaphs, legion halls, schools, and workplaces from coast to coast, often featuring the laying of wreaths, the playing of the Last Post, a recitation of “In Flanders Fields,” and a piper’s lament. The most prominent national ceremony is held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
Many Canadians wear a red poppy in the weeks leading up to the day, a symbol of remembrance and a way to support veterans through the Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Campaign.
Remembrance Day is a federal statutory holiday, though not all provinces observe it as a paid day off. It reminds us that peace was paid for with great sacrifice, and that the gratitude we owe veterans is a year-round duty.
