Operation DISTINCTION

On May 25, 2024, a delegation of CAF members flew to Normandy, France as part Operation DISTINCTION to bring home the remains of a Newfoundland Soldier who died in the First World War and was never identified. On July 1, 2024, the remains of the Unknown Newfoundland Soldier were laid to rest with dignity and full military honours at the National War Memorial in St. John’s, Newfoundland. This solemn duty was conducted in partnership with VAC, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Canadian Border Services Agency.

Over 10,000 Newfoundlanders, Labradorians, and other Canadians turned out to line the streets and attend the ceremony, and stood as testament to the proud, enduring history of service in the region, and the close ties that many Atlantic Canadians have to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Key domestic commemoration events for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and the Liberation of Normandy were held in Dieppe and Moncton, New Brunswick, from June 5 to 6, 2024, in support of Operation DISTINCTION. These events provided approximately 70 CAF members and featured a Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Dieppe Cenotaph, a Sunrise Service at Laurie Cormier Park in Dieppe, a Sunset Service at the Victoria Park Cenotaph in Moncton, and a Wreath-Laying Ceremony Signature Commemoration Event at the Moncton Cenotaph which the Prime Minister of Canada attended.

Canadians landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and helped begin the liberation of Western Europe during the Second World War.

On June 25, 2023, a commemoration ceremony was held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement (July 27). The event featured a delegation of Korean War Veterans and was preceded by a short wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to honour the Canadian Fallen.

More than 26,000 Canadians served in the Korean War, bravely fighting for peace. Long seen as a “forgotten war,” it is an important chapter in Canada’s proud military history.

On September 3, 2023, a delegation led by the Minister of Veterans Affairs and comprised of CAF members, military veterans, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers, and first responders, gathered at the Peggy’s Cove Swissair Memorial in Indian Harbour, Nova Scotia, to commemorate Operation PERSISTENCE, the CAF response to the Swissair Flight 111 crash.

Swissair Flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret’s Bay, about eight kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia, on September 2, 1998 – a tragic event that resulted in significant loss of life. Operation PERSISTENCE became one of the largest domestic military operations in our country’s history, with more than 2,400 CAF members involved in recovery efforts, along with Canadian Coast Guard, RCMP, United States Navy, and the Red Cross.