D Day at 80

Canada Juno Beach

This blog post pays tribute to Canada’s vital role in D-Day, a historical momentous event. Notably, the number of our nation’s Second World War veterans has declined.
Tomorrow might be one of the last commemorations of the nation’s Second World War veterans, marking a significant milestone in our history

As the 75th anniversary of D-Day approaches, much coverage has focused on the importance of the Normandy campaign to the end of the Second World War.

The coverage has focused on soldiers’ reminiscences of the battle. That is vitally important because this might be the last time many veterans will participate in an anniversary marking such a crucial Milestone.

In addition, since the average age of a Second World War veteran is 93, we are collectively losing our connection to the past. The lack of Canadians’ historical memory began in surveys. Among millennials, only 41% can correctly answer that 14000 Canadian troops landed on Juno Beach as part of the D-Day invasion.

Remembrance Day


Tim Cook, the director of research at the Canadian War Museum, said if anyone can be credited for the creation of the poppy as a symbol, it’s John McCrae, the physician from Guelph, Ont., who wrote In Flanders Fields while serving in the First World War.
“It’s deeply entrenched with John McCrae and In Flanders Fields,” said Cook. “The western world was reciting that poem.”
“It’s deeply entrenched with John McCrae and In Flanders Fields,” said Cook. “The western world was reciting that poem.”