Canadians Mark Remembrance Day 25 Years After Afghanistan Deployment Began

OTTAWA – November 11, 2026

Canadians gathered at cenotaphs and memorials across the country Wednesday to mark Remembrance Day and honour those who served and died in the country’s wars and peacekeeping missions. This year’s ceremonies also mark 25 years since Canadian forces began operations in Afghanistan, a conflict in which roughly 40,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces served and 159 were killed.

The national ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa included three Second World War veterans. Prime Minister Mark Carney, Governor General Louise Arbour and other dignitaries laid wreaths. CF-18 fighter jets and a Black Hawk helicopter conducted flypasts. Similar flyovers by Griffon, Chinook and Cormorant helicopters and other Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft took place at local ceremonies elsewhere. This year’s Silver Cross Mother, Virginia Hicks, laid a wreath on behalf of mothers who lost a child in military service.

The ceremonies come weeks after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright during a training exercise killed four soldiers and injured 39 others. Private Shaun Farrell, Private Aidan Goulding, Private Hayden Lykkemark and Sergeant Morgan Wong died in the blaze on October 17. Many of the injured remain in hospital. A separate ceremony is being held at CFB Wainwright today. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is attending, along with military members, veterans and other dignitaries. Carney has described the fire as one of the worst tragedies for the Armed Forces on Canadian soil during peacetime.

In his Veterans’ Week statement earlier this month, Carney noted that more than 2.3 million Canadians have served since Confederation, including in the Persian Gulf. He said this year’s remembrance carries a new sorrow because of the Wainwright deaths. Poilievre has also paid tribute to the four soldiers and visited the base shortly after the fire. He has spoken about the bravery of those who ran into the flames to pull others to safety.

Remembrance Day is a paid statutory holiday in several provinces and for federally regulated workers, but not in Ontario. Ceremonies still take place across Northwestern Ontario. Services were scheduled in Thunder Bay, Fort William First Nation, Kenora, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake and other communities. Royal Canadian Legion branches organize most of the events. In Kenora the service began at 10:30 a.m. at the Jarnel Contracting Pavilion, with two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. Weather permitting, a parade to the Main Street cenotaph was planned.

The Afghanistan anniversary adds weight to this year’s services. The mission was Canada’s longest and the largest deployment of Canadian troops since the Second World War. Many of the names read at cenotaphs this week belong to soldiers who served there. The Wainwright deaths add four more recent names to the lists being remembered. The two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. local time remains the central act of the day across the country.

Carney leaves today on a multi-country trip to Ireland and Asia aimed at trade and security talks. The national ceremony in Ottawa proceeded with other federal representatives present. Local Legion branches and municipalities across Northwestern Ontario held their own services, continuing a practice that has marked November 11 in communities from Kenora to Thunder Bay for generations.