OTTAWA — Canadians across the country are gathering today to reflect on the legacy of war and remember the men and women who served and died defending this country. Canadians will mark 25 years since the start of the Afghanistan war, a conflict in which 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served and 159 lost their lives. The Afghanistan conflict, which lasted more than 12 years, was the longest in Canadian history and saw the largest deployment of Canadian troops since the Second World War. Three Second World War veterans are expected to attend the ceremony in Ottawa and Prime Minister Mark Carney, Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour and other dignitaries will lay wreaths at the National War Memorial. CF-18 fighter jets and a Black Hawk helicopter will perform flypasts over the national ceremony, while Griffon, Chinook and Cormorant helicopters and other RCAF aircraft will conduct flyovers at local ceremonies across the country. This year is also the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion — founded in 1926 to create one main advocacy group for veterans’ benefits — and the 150th anniversary of the Royal Military College. Some 300 cadets are expected to attend the parade to mark that anniversary, which is about 200 more cadets than usual. This year’s ceremonies take place just weeks after a tragic fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright claimed the lives of four soldiers and injured dozens of others during a training exercise. Three separate investigations, including one by military police, are looking into the accident at CFB Wainwright. Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton, Pte. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Sask., Pte. Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, B.C., were killed at the Alberta training base last month. They died when strong winds suddenly swept up a grass fire that was burning on the automatic grenade launcher range and carried it across the training area. The last update from National Defence on Nov. 4 said of the 39 injured, 14 had been released from hospital while another 25 remained in hospital. A separate ceremony is planned for today at CFB Wainwright. Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is set to attend, along with other dignitaries, military members and veterans. This year’s Silver Cross Mother, Virginia Hicks, will lay a wreath at the cenotaph in Ottawa on behalf of all mothers who lost a child who served in the military. Hicks lost her daughter during a training incident at CFB Petawawa in 2002. She was chosen by the Royal Canadian Legion months before the Wainwright accident took place. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2026.
