We will remember them

Every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, millions of people everywhere pause to reflect and remember the sacrifice of thousands upon thousands of men and women who gave up their lives in the quest for peace, freedom and democracy.

Canada, along with its sister nations in the Commonwealth, began observing Remembrance Day on November 11, 1919 – exactly one year after the end of the First World War. Originally called Armistice Day, this day was once linked with the Thanksgiving holiday in Canada. From 1921 to 1930, Thanksgiving and Armistice Day were both observed on the same day and by law were held on the Monday for the week of November 11th. The linking of these two events caused much debate since Thanksgiving is a time for celebration and family whereas Armistice Day was a day to reflect and remember.

The Royal Canadian Legion held its founding convention in Winnipeg in 1925. They passed a resolution at this convention affirming that Armistice Day should only be held on November 11th and no other day. Thus began the Legion’s campaign to change the law to reflect this.

In March 1931, two British Columbia Members of Parliament introduced motions in the House of Commons to have Armistice Day observed on November 11 and “on no other date” and to change the name from “Armistice” to “Remembrance” Day so as to better reflect the nation’s desire to remember and commemorate. Parliament moved to implement these changes and Canada held its first Remembrance Day on November 11, 1931.

Remembrance Day was always an occasion that I could never really connect with when I was growing up. I would attend the yearly ceremonies in the school gym, wear the poppy and memorize the poem In Flanders Fields. But for me, it was always about a far away war that took place long ago and there was no direct connection to me. I’ve found that many in my generation felt this way. The world wars were our grandparents’ generation, and the Vietnam and Korean wars were our parents’ generation. We would hear stories about these wars, perhaps read a book or watch a movie about it but it didn’t have a large impact on our daily lives.

For me, the first real war that I lived through was the First Gulf War in January 1991. I was in first year university and it played out in real time on CNN. I remember going to my intro political science class and my prof would always be at least 10 minutes late because he was watching the news and would then report to the class about the progress of the war. Years later I attended the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa when I was in law school. Since then, I have had the opportunity to attend not just Remembrance Day ceremonies but different veterans’ events as a result of working for Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, who served as our nation’s Minister of Veterans Affairs. Attending these events and meeting with actual veterans has given me a different perspective on Remembrance Day – add to that the times that we currently live in. Today’s generation of youth going to school will have lived through the First Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, which began in October 2001, and the Iraq war, which began in March 2003. Unlike my generation who did not have a “current” war when we were growing up, this generation merely needs to turn on CBC or CNN to catch the latest visuals of the war.

The First World War was supposed to be the “war to end all wars.” Unfortunately, this never came to pass. Consequently, Remembrance Day is no longer a day to simply remember and commemorate the veterans of the first world wars and earlier conflicts but it is now a day where we also pause and reflect about the brave men and women who are still fighting various wars around the world today.

I want to close by sharing with you a stanza from a poem called, For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon. This stanza is often placed on war memorials but it first came to my attention while attending a veterans meeting where it was recited to remember fallen comrades. It has stuck with me ever since.

They shall grow not old as we
that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them nor
the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning,
we will remember them.

The historical information contained in this article was obtained from the websites of the CBC, Royal Canadian Legion, Wikipedia, Canadian Heritage and Veterans Affairs.

The content of this article is not intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only. Should you require legal advice on a specific issue relating to the content of this article, please seek the services of a legal professional.

Alona C. Mercado is a lawyer practicing in Winnipeg with the law firm of MONK GOODWIN LLP. She was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1999 and the Ontario Bar in 2003. Her preferred areas of practice include wills and estates, committees, real estate, and immigration law. Alona can be reached at (204) 956-1060 ext. 233 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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