Our branches help organize Remembrance Day Ceremonies during which we honour those who gave their lives to serve our country.
We Remember
By remembering, we pay tribute to members of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP who served to defend our values and freedoms. We also honour those who continue to serve our country today.
We remember Canadian Veterans from all conflicts, as well as those who made sacrifices on the home front. We are committed to making sure that Canada never forgets the people who served in the Canadian Armed Forces, in the RCMP, as Peace Officers, in the Merchant Navy, and in the Reserves. Additionally, we honour military families – the parents, spouses, and children whose lives are forever shaped by service.
Join Us
Everyone is welcome to attend the Remembrance Day Ceremony in their local area. We share a moment to reflect, to teach younger generations about the true cost of freedom, and to show Veterans and their families that their sacrifices are recognized and valued. By standing together in remembrance, we help keep these stories alive and ensure that the meaning of service and sacrifice is never lost.
days
hours minutes seconds
until
Remembrance Day Ceremonies begin
Little known facts about the Poppy
- Until 1996, poppies were handmade by veterans in Vetcraft workshops in Montreal and Toronto. The work provided a small source of income for disabled ex-service persons.
- While the traditional lapel poppy is the most popular, car models, large table varieties and metal pins are also available at most Legion branches.
- The centre of the poppy was originally black but was changed to green more than twenty years ago to represent the green fields of France. In 2002, it was changed back to black to reflect the actual colours of the poppies that grew in Flanders, Belgium.
- The poppy is an international “symbol of collective reminiscence.”
- Poppies have been associated with those killed in combat since the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century, more than 110 years before being adopted in Canada.
- Prior to the First World War, few poppies grew in Flanders. Trench warfare enriched the soil with lime from rubble, allowing “popaver rhoes” to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and poppies began to disappear again.
- In 1915, Guelph, Ont. native John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Canadian Forces Artillery, wrote about the poppy explosion in his famous poem In Flanders Fields.
- An American woman inspired by McCrae’s poem wore the flower year round and exported the idea to Madame Guérin of France, who sold the handmade poppies to raise money for poor children. Guérin later convinced friends in Canada to adopt the symbol as well.