Canadian delegation will travel to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy

Remembering those who fought for peace and freedom.

OTTAWA, ON, May 30, 2024 /CNW/ - For the Canadians who landed on Juno Beach on 6 June 1944, it was a day they would never forget.

To mark the 80^th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, will lead an official Government of Canada delegation to Normandy, France. The delegation will leave Canada in early June and return on 9 June 2024, following events and ceremonies commemorating this significant milestone.

The delegation will include Second World War Veterans and their families, including those who fought on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy, representatives of Veterans' organizations and Indigenous groups, as well as parliamentarians. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces will also participate in events and ceremonies in France. As part of the delegation selection process, Veterans Affairs Canada worked with Veterans organizations to identify Canadian Veterans to serve as delegates.

The signature commemorative ceremony, taking place at Juno Beach on 6 June 2024, can be watched by Canadians at home through Canadian broadcasters, as well as through Veterans Affairs Canada's "Canada Remembers" Facebook page.

All Canadians share a responsibility to keep Veterans' stories alive, recognize the cost of war and honour their sacrifice which allow us the privileges and peace we know today. 

Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtags #CanadaRemembers and #DDay80, or visit veterans.gc.ca/CanadaRemembers.

Quotes

"The men and women who made D-Day possible came from all walks of life. From small towns to big cities, from farming communities to fishing villages. Giants of industry and factory workers. As we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, it is my honour to stand alongside some of Canada's Second World War Veterans as we revisit the beach, towns, and fields where so many Canadians fought side by side. The thousands of Veterans who served during the Normandy Campaign have thousands of stories. It is our duty to keep these stories alive."

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Quick facts

• On 6 June 1944, the Allies launched Operation Overlord, a massive amphibious assault on the coast of occupied France intended to secure a beachhead in Western Europe.
• More than 14,000 Canadians landed at Juno Beach, among the roughly 150,000 Allied forces who came ashore in Normandy, and charged fortified German positions. By the end of D-Day, 359 Canadian soldiers had been killed but an Allied foothold in France had been established.
• More than 90,000 Canadian soldiers who had volunteered to serve Canada during the Second World War saw action in the Normandy Campaign.
• The Battle of Normandy lasted for 11 weeks. Fighting through the dust and heat of the French summer, more than 5,000 Canadian soldiers were killed and another 13,000 wounded before the campaign officially came to a close in late August 1944.
• The Canadians who fought on D-Day and throughout the Battle of Normandy were among the more than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served in uniform during the Second World War.

Associated links

• 80^th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
• D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
• Stories from D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
• Events in Canada

SOURCE Veterans Affairs Canada - Ottawa

Media Relations, Veterans Affairs Canada, 613-992-7468, [email protected]; Isabelle Arseneau, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs, [email protected]