Every year, Remembrance Day provides Canadians with an opportunity to recall significant milestones in our nation’s history and contemplate the impact our troops have had on world history as well as our national identity. This year, we mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy and the landing of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on Juno Beach. Our soldiers were key to the success of that operation, pushing farther inland than any other landing force on D-Day despite suffering heavy casualties.
But that is only the best-known of several battles that year in which Canada played a significant role. In October, for instance, the Battle of the Scheldt estuary, which set out to open the occupied port of Antwerp, resulted in nearly 13,000 Allied casualties, half of them Canadians. That same month, Private Ernest “Smokey” Smith carried out the heroic actions at the River Savio which earned him the Victoria Cross.
However, the pride we feel in stories of how generations of Canadian troops have fought to defend freedom and human rights, and our admiration for individual soldiers’ outstanding acts of bravery, should be tempered by a desire to pursue peace and work towards a world where such terrible sacrifices are no longer necessary.
As His Majesty the King’s representative in Alberta, I offer my deepest gratitude to all Canadians in uniform—past and present, living and dead. I hope Canadians everywhere will honour them by holding fast to the principles they fought so hard to preserve.
Her Honour, the Honourable Salma Lakhani, AOE, BSc, LLD (hon)
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
November 11, 2024