Memorials to honour Canada’s veterans and fallen soldiers were held coast to coast in the nation and overseas on Remembrance Day.
Speaking at the Sai Wan Bay Cemetery in Hong Kong where nearly 300 Canadian soldiers who died while taking part in a mission during WWII are buried, Prime Minister Stephen Harper honoured the service of all Canadian soldiers and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“On this day, in such places of quiet rest for the fallen, and beside monuments to their sacrifice, we gather in the old Act of Remembrance,” Harper said, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“We recite the old words, speak, sometimes, of old friends or forebears who, to our lasting benefit and their everlasting glory, served our country to the full,” Harper said.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay, who made a surprise visit to Afghanistan and met with Canadian Forces on Sunday, said in a teleconference: “We are very, very blessed to have our citizens, those in uniform, those in various departments who are serving our country so valiantly here.”
“That is, perhaps, the greatest respect that we can pay to the previous generation of Canadians, to continue their good work, really stand on the shoulders of giants and their continuing legacy here in Afghanistan and other places around the world where they work,” MacKay added.
In Canada, ceremonies were held in Ottawa as well as provincial capitals and other cities to mark Remembrance Day.
Thousands of people attended the ceremony in Ottawa at the National War Memorial with Governor General David Johnston and Chaplain General of the Canadian Forces Karl McLean taking part.
According to the Department of National Defence (DND), more than 1.5 million Canadians have served Canada in times of war, conflict, and peace, and over 100,000 have died.
“They gave their lives and their futures so that we may live in peace,” reads a statement from the Department of National Defence.
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