Vancouver's 99th Remembrance Day ceremony reflects on Korean War ceasefire
CTV
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Vancouver on Saturday for a sombre Remembrance Day ceremony that reflected on the ceasefire that ended the Korean War 70 years ago.
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Vancouver on Saturday for a sombre Remembrance Day ceremony that reflected on the ceasefire that ended the Korean War 70 years ago.
Ceremony director James Stanton noted the war remains Canada's third-bloodiest overseas conflict, claiming the lives of 516 of the country's soldiers and wounding more than 1,200 others.
"On this hallowed day, we pause to remember what is often called Canada's Forgotten War," Stanton said. "We will not forget these young soldiers who bravely fought for peace."
The conflict was labelled the Forgotten War because for years, it was referred to as a "police action," and there was much less awareness of the fighting back home than there was during the Second World War.
More than 26,000 Canadians served in the Korean War, and the survivors returned without parades, fanfare or official recognition.
Stanton led the crowd in acknowledging all of the country's veterans, including 100-year-old Percy J. Smith, who fought in the Second World War and attended Saturday's ceremony.
"We salute Percy and his fellow veterans for their service to Canada, wish them good health, thank those who care of them, while we proudly wear our poppies to keep their memory alive, as well as that of their former comrades," Stanton said.
Admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki’s defence lawyers have argued the accused had a history of schizophrenic delusions culminating in ‘catastrophic circumstances,’ while Crown prosecutors say the killings of four vulnerable Indigenous women were driven by Skibicki’s racist views and deviant sexual urges.