Thousands of Canadians, dignitaries and veterans stood under grey skies in Ottawa on Wednesday to honour and remember the sacrifices of the country’s veterans and fallen soldiers.
Artillery fire and bagpipes scattered the quiet morning air at Canada’s National War Memorial, with the recent tragedy at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta hanging over the event as a stark reminder of the cost of war.
Gen. Jennie Carignan, Canada’s chief of the defence staff, told CBC News that Remembrance Day is an opportunity for Canadians to remind themselves “what it means to serve and that peace and security is never free.”
“This year, in the aftermath of the Wainwright tragedy, it’s a reminder of what service might mean and the immense sacrifice that our [Canadian Armed Forces] members do, along with their families,” Carignan said.
Just over three weeks ago, a fire at CFB Wainwright claimed the lives of Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton, Pte. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Sask., Pte. Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, B.C., during a training exercise that also injured dozens.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney and Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour marked the day at the National War Memorial, shaking hands with veterans and laying wreaths to honour veterans and those lost in war.
“With their bright futures still before them, they chose to safeguard ours. We mourn their loss, stand with those recovering from their injuries, and hold their families and fellow service members in our thoughts,” Carney said in a statement.
A separate ceremony took place at CFB Wainwright, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, dignitaries, military members and veterans in attendance.
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“Today, we mourn those we lost. We pray for those recovering, and for the families whose lives have been forever changed,” Poilievre said in a statement. “Their sacrifice reminds us of the extraordinary risks our men and women in uniform accept, even in times of peace.”
Arbour asked all Canadians to reflect on the “courage and dedication of the Canadian Armed Forces members” and the sacrifices of those who lost their lives in Wainwright, their families and the communities that support them.
“Such moments remind us that behind every uniform is a human being, someone who serves with dedication, accepts risk on behalf of others and is supported by loved ones who share in the sacrifices that service often demands,” Arbour said in her statement.
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Speaking from the cenotaph, Rabbi Idan Scher reminded Canadians that before they were soldiers, the victims of the Wainwright fire, like all soldiers, were once children: innocent, young and unaware of the sacrifices they would later make for their country.
Scher said each of the four service members who died in Wainwright chose “to serve something greater than themselves.”
“At a time when our world feels increasingly divided, these Canadians reminded us of what truly matters,” he said as a Blackhawk helicopter flew below the thick clouds.
The Ottawa Children’s Choir then sang God Save the King as veterans, dignitaries and Canadians stood quietly by.
Hundreds of soldiers who helped rescue fellow service members from the deadly fire at CFB Wainwright last month took part in the special Remembrance Day ceremony in St. Albert, Alta.
During the ceremony’s meditation, retired padre major Rev. Ken MacRae offered condolences to loved ones.
“Our thoughts — for those who are religious, our prayers — go out to the family, the friends, our comrades who are in grief,” MacRae said.
He also acknowledged the soldiers who were injured in that fire, many of whom are still being treated in hospital.
“People around our country are thinking and praying for your recovery. Your friends and your comrades, here today on parade, are cheering you on and want to encourage you to keep on fighting,” he said.
Cpl. Jason Goddard laid the wreath for Pte. Shaun Farrell. He was joined by the soldier’s family, who travelled from Prince Albert, Sask.
Soldiers march as the Remembrance Day ceremony in St. Albert wraps up. (Kory Siegers/CBC)
Civilians who lined the streets stayed to applaud service members as they marched away from the cenotaph.
The service honoured soldiers who died in past wars, but it paid particular attention to those affected by the recent tragedy.
In his statement, Carney said he wants Canadians to know that the act of remembering is “an act of vigilance and determination.”
“Today, Canadians gather to honour the generations of women and men who answered the call. We remember those who spent years away from their loved ones, those who returned forever changed and those who never came home,” he said.
“Our remembrance is more than an expression of gratitude. It is an act of vigilance and determination, and it is a promise: that what they defended, we will defend, that what they won, we will keep, forever cherish and pass on.”
Also in a statement, Arbour said, “Remembrance connects us across generations.
“It is a reminder of the terrible human cost of war, and of our responsibility to uphold peace, human dignity and the rule of law, especially in the context of armed conflict.”
Hicks, left, Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour, and Prime Minister Mark Carney and wife Diana Fox Carney, left to right, were among those in Ottawa for the Remembrance Day service at the National War Memorial. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press)
Canadians are marking 25 years since the start of the Afghanistan war, where 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served and 159 lost their lives.
The conflict, which lasted more than 12 years, was the longest in Canadian history and saw the largest deployment of Canadian troops since the Second World War.
CF-18 fighter jets and a Black Hawk helicopter performed flypasts over the national ceremony, while Griffon, Chinook and Cormorant helicopters and other RCAF aircraft were set to conduct flyovers at local ceremonies across the country.
Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets conduct a flypast during the Remembrance Day service at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press)
Also at the cenotaph in Ottawa, this year’s Silver Cross Mother, Virginia Hicks, laid a wreath on behalf of all mothers who lost a child who served in the military.
Hicks was greeted by Carney and took her place between him and Arbour as they laid wreaths before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Hicks lost her daughter during training at CFB Petawawa in 2002. She was chosen by the Royal Canadian Legion months before the Wainwright accident took place.
This year is also the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion — founded in 1926 to create one main advocacy group for veterans’ benefits — and the 150th anniversary of the Royal Military College.
Some 300 cadets, 200 more than usual, attended the parade to mark that anniversary.
