Veterans, diplomats, members of the Armed Forces and political leaders gathered Thursday at events across Canada commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
“Nearly every family knows somebody who suffered from the effect of war,” said Fraser McKee, a 100-year-old veteran who helped to lay a wreath at the Toronto ceremony.
“This is to remember people that will have to go to war, as well as remembering those that went and didn’t come back.”
Canadians and Allied soldiers accepted the surrender of German forces in the Netherlands on May 5, 1945. The remaining German forces subsequently surrendered across Europe and May 8, 1945, was declared Victory in Europe Day.
At the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Thursday, the head of the Canadian military said the day marks the end of a conflict that cost the country dearly but brought it closer to its allies.
“Row upon row of Canadian war graves bear witness to this enormous sacrifice,” said Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan.
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“A sacrifice met with lasting gratitude that has not faded with time, but instead blossomed into some of our strongest friendships.”
Dutch Ambassador to Canada Margriet Vonno said children in the Netherlands have been taught for decades that their freedom came at the cost of Canadian lives.
“We remember the war vividly. The brutality of the Nazi occupation, the hunger,” she said.
“If anyone believes the liberation of Holland was a cakewalk, they should know 7,600 Canadians (are) buried in those cemeteries, and that sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Dozens gathered at the cenotaph in Ottawa to hear speeches and musical performances, including two songs that were popular during the Second World War.
Retired corporal Matthew Carson, who served in Europe during the Cold War, said after the ceremony that he hopes the events remind Canadians about the importance of preventing wars.
“It probably instilled a little vigour in people’s memories, to know what we have and what we’re fighting for,” said Carson, 86.
He added that U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Canada is “definitely” relevant to how Canadians see their country now.
“It’s too bad that it takes political pressure from outside the country to make us realize what we have here,” he said.
At a wreath-laying ceremony at the Victory-Peace Monument in Coronation Park in Toronto, members of the Canadian Armed Forces band played the national anthems of Canada and the Netherlands under a large Canadian flag waving in the wind.
McKee, who served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War, said V-E Day should remind Canadians that those who served were “ordinary people” who risked their lives to protect others.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who also laid a wreath at the monument, said it’s a “sacred duty” to never forget the sacrifices of veterans and active service members.
“We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid,” said Chow.
