Every year on November 11, Canadians gather to remember the soldiers who served and sacrificed in times of war. Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the Armistice in 1918 that ended the First World War. Today, it also honours those who served in the Second World War, the Korean War, the War in Afghanistan, and on countless peacekeeping and international missions.
At 11 a.m., the country falls silent as “The Last Post” plays. It’s a bugle call once used to signal that sentries were in place for the night. It has become a solemn symbol of day’s end, of death, and of remembrance. Ceremonies often include the poems For the Fallen and In Flanders Fields, whose words remind us of both loss and gratitude.
More than 1.6 million Canadians have served in the Armed Forces. Millions of red poppies bloom on lapels across the nation, raising funds to support veterans and their families. The poppy is a small but powerful emblem: a promise that we will not forget.
Yet “Lest we forget” is more than a phrase.
Lest we forget the heartbreak, chaos, and horror of war.
Lest we forget the generational trauma, racism, misogyny, grief, and nightmares that follow.
Lest we forget the heroes and the villains, and the impossible choices that make soldiers brave.
There is nothing glamorous about war.
Lest we forget the shadows behind the supposed glory, the whitewashing of history, the stories untold.
Lest we forget the Indigenous Canadians whose service and sacrifice were nearly erased from our national narrative.
Lest we forget that even peacekeeping comes with sacrifice, violence, and lasting scars.
On November 11, let us remember not only those who died so that we might live, but also the truths of what they endured, and the peace they hoped we would protect.