Remembrance Day marks 80 years since WWII as number of surviving veterans continues to decline

As Canada observes Remembrance Day 80 years after the end of the Second World War, the number of surviving veterans from that conflict continues to fall. Veterans Affairs Canada estimates roughly 3,700 WWII veterans are still alive this year, including just over 650 women. The department also counts about 1,900 living Canadian veterans of the Korean War.

Historians say Canada is entering a period where memories of the Second World War are shifting from lived experience to recorded history. With most surviving veterans now in their late 90s or older, opportunities to hear firsthand accounts are becoming increasingly rare.

The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa is showcasing interviews and stories from some of the last
remaining WWII veterans as part of its exhibition Last Voices of the Second World War, open through January.

More than 45,000 Canadians lost their lives in the war, and tens of thousands more were wounded while fighting Nazi Germany and its allies. The war ended in Europe in May 1945 and in the Pacific that August.

At this year’s national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa, Chief Justice Richard Wagner will stand in for Governor General Mary Simon, who is recovering from illness. Prime Minister Mark Carney, senior military leaders and Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight will also attend. Nancy Payne, whose son was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2006, will lay the wreath as this year’s National Silver Cross Mother.

The federal government is highlighting the Canadian military’s long history of service not only overseas but across the Americas, including disaster response and humanitarian support at home and abroad.

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the entombment of the Unknown Soldier, honouring the more than 118,000 Canadians who have died in service.