The week of Remembrance ceremonies got underway on Friday at the Senate Chambers in Ottawa with guests and representatives of Peacekeepers, Korean Veterans, Indigenous veterans, Royal Military College, RCMP, cadet groups, and various politicians and civilian reps. The entire Senate Chamber was filled with the area between the two sides filled with extra seating for the 24th Annual Senate Remembrance Ceremony. This year’s theme was the 75 years that Canada has been participating in peacekeeping missions in which 125,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces have taken part, along with the RCMP and other police organizations and civilian participants.
To see all the pictures from the event, CLICK HERE:
The Serenade of Strings from the Central Band of the CAF provided music while guests took their seats after which LCol. Carl Gauthier provided the words of introduction to the ceremony. Following the introduction, the Usher of the Black Rod, Mr. Greg Peters, led the procession of the official party into the Chamber with the speakers moving down the left-hand side of the middle seating while Mr. Peters lead the others down the right-hand side. The speakers this year were The Honourable Raymonde Gagné, Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Chris D’Entremont, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, M.P. Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, and Capt(N) Bonita Mason, Deputy Chaplain General of the CAF. Once everyone was in place, The Ottawa Children’s Choir sang the National Anthem.
Ms. Gagné was the first to the podium however, as her entire address was in French, I don’t know what she said other than words like courage and sacrifice which are pretty much the same in both languages. Mr. D’Entremont, the next speaker spoke in both languages and praised those who “made the ultimate sacrifice” and those “… who serve today to promote peace and security overseas and here in Canada.” He noted those who served in peacekeeping missions and also those who serve Canadians in times of natural disasters. Following his address, there was a small intermission as the Ottawa Children’s Choir sang “Flanders Fields” prior to Ms. Lalonde coming to the podium.
Ms. Lalonde pointed out that, “The Canada that we enjoy today would not be what it is were it not for those who’ve worn the uniform”. She noted also that the members of under-represented groups, such as the Black soldiers of #2 Construction Battalion and Indigenous veterans, had to overcome barriers just to wear the uniform but they did so with determination and pride. And lastly, she mentioned the 75 years that Canada has been involved in peacekeeping, most often with distinction.
The program continued with prayers from Capt(N) Mason, the Act of Remembrance, and the Commitment to Remember. Then, the Last Post was played followed by the moment’s silence, the Rouse and the Lament. This brought the ceremony up to the laying of the wreath in front of the miniature statue of “the Brooding Soldier”.
The wreath was layed by Ms. Gagné, Mr. D’Entremont, and Ms. Lalonde. Now, the wreath is normally of white orchids, symbolizing the gallantry of service and sacrifice, with a grouping of red roses in the heart position symbolizing the eternal respect and thanks of a grateful Canada. This year, however, the wreath was different in that it was white and blue with what appeared to be white roses mixed with blue hydrangea and thistle heads (I’m not a gardener so I wouldn’t bet money on my being correct). My guess is that the blue was a nod to the peace keepers who wear the blue beret but the change was not explained as even the ceremony programme described the old wreath.
The event concluded shortly after the laying of the wreath and, after the Royal Anthem and departure of the official party, everyone adjourned to the entrance mezzanine for the reception.
A usual practice at this ceremony is that guests come down to have their pictures taken in front of the wreath with the Brooding Soldier statue and the royal chairs in the background and today was no different other than at the end, all the cadets in attendance came together for a group photo. To their surprise, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre, came to join them for the picture and then took a couple of minutes to speak to them about their time in the Cadet organizations. He told them to “Enjoy the program, you learn so much and what you’re going to take away from this will serve you for the rest of your life”. After his words, the CDS and the cadets made their way to the reception where the CDS continued to talk with the cadets and have more personalized pictures taken.
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