Vancouver Remembrance Day Ceremony held in Victory Square

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The rain stopped for a gray and gloomy Remembrance Day ceremony in Vancouver’s Victoria Square on Thursday.

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People were asked to stay home and watch it online again this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the crowd that showed up was small, watching from behind the doors surrounding the cenotaph.

The ceremony

The Vancouver flag was flown at half mast to commemorate Remembrance Day and the 76th anniversary of the end of World War II.

At Victory Square, James Stanton, the new emcee, first acknowledged the loss of Cam Cathcart, an organizer and emcee of the Victory Square ceremony. Cathart died earlier this year at age 83.

“Gone, but not forgotten,” Stanton said.

The ceremony was broadcast on Youtube and online at the City of Vancouver Facebook page.

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Mikah Nanson read a poem called “The Forgotten Algonquin” in honor of the First Nations people who fought for Canada. Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart presented Nanson with an award for his poem and then a choir sang the White Cliffs of Dover.

Stanton said the number of World War veterans is declining in Canada. He told the crowd that at one point there were more than a million veterans, but now there are fewer than 40,000 still alive, and the median age of those veterans is 94.

There was two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., followed by the somber Lament on the bagpipes. The Aurora plane flew overhead and a masked choir sang as dignitaries placed wreaths of flowers at the cenotaph. Among them was Paul DeLorme, a veteran of World War II.

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Thursday’s one-hour ceremony concluded with the Vancouver Fire and Rescue band performing God Save the Queen and the Bach youth choir singing Flanders Fields and Until We Meet Again.

For more Remembrance Day events planned for Metro Vancouver, read Remembrance Day 2021: What’s Happening in Metro Vancouver.

The BC Center for Disease Control reminds people planning to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony in Metro Vancouver to verify regional COVID-19 guidelines and orders in areas where the transmission of the virus is greater. For example, Fraser Health has restrictions for Abbotsford, Agassiz, Chilliwack, Harrison Hot Springs, Hope, and Mission. There are also additional restrictions in the interior and northern sanitary regions.

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Quotes

Prime Minister John Horgan:

“The people of British Columbia will mark this important day with virtual and in-person ceremonies at the local cenotaph. We stand with veterans, members of the military, and merchant sailors to honor those who risked their lives to protect ours and build a more peaceful world. The best way we can honor their sacrifice is by doing everything we can to keep ourselves and others safe. “

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:

“They have defended our freedom. They have protected our values. They have kept us safe. And they have done it with courage and commitment. To those who served, to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and to those who serve today: thank you ”.

The federal leader of the NDP, Jagmeet Singh:

“We need to make sure that Canadian veterans and their families are well supported. For too long, the government has failed to meet the needs of veterans and it is reflected in the increase in homelessness and mental health challenges among those who have served their country. Veterans deserve more than empty promises. “

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