Commander Canadian Army marks Remembrance Day

Article / November 11, 2022 / Project number: 22-0081

November 11, 2022 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Lieutenant-General Jocelyn Paul, Commander Canadian Army, issued the following statement to mark Remembrance Day:

Every November we pause and reflect together in honour of those who have served our country in uniform.

In the Canadian Armed Forces, we preserve that history through perpetuation, a unique system that allows the brave deeds of past units to live on in the hands of their successors. For perpetuating units, this is more than simply an institutional requirement.

Perpetuation also creates links between units new and old that are much like those binding a family.

All of us, soldiers and citizens alike, have a similar responsibility to keep these stories alive for younger generations. And to pass the important tradition of Remembrance Day on to them.

Generations of veterans and their families have stood up and risked everything in times of war to ensure the freedoms and enviable quality of life we enjoy today.

That has meant different things in different times, but sacrifice – service over self – is a constant.

Just over a century ago, during the First World War, a defining moment for Canada began: The Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Vimy was a heavily fortified, enemy-controlled position in Northern France, and Canadian troops were tasked with taking it.

A number of previous attempts by the British and French had already failed.

With incredible bravery and determination, the Canadians fought over four difficult days and nights, through machine gun and artillery fire. They emerged victorious, but at a sobering cost: Nearly 3600 lost their lives and another 7000 were wounded.

Eighty years ago, during the Second World War, Canadian troops faced another difficult objective in France.

It was 1942, and German forces were deeply entrenched, with all of France being under their control. A force of 6100 – 5000 of whom were Canadians – was charged with giving the allies a foothold in Western Europe.

The raid on the French port of Dieppe got underway on August 19. Unlike Vimy, it would not go in the Allies’ favour.

By the afternoon of August 19, it was over. Nearly 3000 of the Canadians who took part would be counted among the casualties, with some 1900 taken prisoner and more than 900 killed.

From Korea to Afghanistan, and in countless other missions around the globe, Canada’s soldiers, sailors, and aviators have strived and sacrificed to uphold the values of freedom and democracy.

And today, the people we will commemorate on Remembrance Days yet to come carry on that proud tradition.

They are supporting Canadians here at home in the face natural disasters such as floods, forest fires or other emergencies like the pandemic. They are asserting and protecting our sovereignty by patrolling Canada’s most remote areas. They are training our allies abroad so they can keep their fellow citizens safe. And they are reassuring NATO partners by being deployed to Europe as part of Op REASSURANCE and Op UNIFIER.

We very much hope not, but it could mean going to war to defend that which we hold dear.

I hope you’ll join me today in reflection. Lest We Forget.