BONNYVILLE – On Nov. 11, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 183 Bonnyville will be paying tribute to the sacrifices of Canada’s men and women who have defended Canadian freedoms abroad and at home with an outdoor service.
Executive members of the local branch made the decision to host one more Remembrance Day ceremony outside of the Bonnyville Legion building that will start at 10:45 a.m.
Attendees are asked to arrive and take up a spot on the sidewalk or street before the service is set to begin.
“The last two years with respect to COVID restrictions, our ceremonies have been held outside the Legion,” explained Bob McRae, the Sergeant at Arms for Branch 183.
“The reason we decided this one last year to go outside is that we weren't sure that restrictions would stay off because the pandemic hasn't ended. We are still cognizant of the fact that the restrictions could have been put back on.”
McRae says the Legion is planning to return to a larger indoor service at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre in 2023.
Bonnyville Remembrance Day ceremonies prior to the pandemic would see upwards of 500 to 1,000 people attending.
The switch to an outdoor service, while intimate, did result in the removal of some traditional elements.
“Usually, the construction and engineering unit from 4 Wing would send a contingent down of some 30 to 40 members,” said McRae, reflecting on pre-pandemic ceremonies.
“Quite often, there was a guest speaker that gave a message or a homily and that was chopped out. The number of wreaths that are presented are limited, whereas if we were at the Centennial Centre, it would be up to 40 or 50 wreaths that would be laid.”
And while some key elements have been pared down over the last two years to accommodate an outdoor Remembrance Day presentation, music will return to Bonnyville’s ceremony this year.
“We are expanding a little bit from last year,” McRae noted. “This year a choir that traditionally performed during the Legion’s indoor service will perform two to three songs this year at our outdoor service.”
Acknowledging that alterations had to be accommodated over the last few years, Bonnyville’s Sergeant at Arms says the most important element of Nov. 11, is that people reflect on the sacrifices made on their behalf.
“It is a day off work, a day off school, so that you can take the time and contemplate on how we have the freedoms that we have now, and what sort of things have happened in the past to ensure we continue those freedoms,” said McRae.
Over Canada’s history while a dominion of the British empire and even after its independence, it has always remained a strong military ally to it European countrymen.
“Canada tends to, in the military sense anyway, always step forward and punch above its weight,” McRae said, referring to international conflict over the last 100 years.
The pursuit of freedom and values Canadian hold sacred continue to be at the forefront of Canadian Armed Forces missions.
“You shouldn't be persecuted because of your religion. You shouldn't be persecuted because of your appearance, or if you have a mental illness or disability,” he said.
“There is quite a few of them that have happened over the years the Persian Gulf War, Afghan war, Korean War, Kosovo War, there's tons of them.”
McRae adds that Canada’s armed forces personnel have sworn an oath of allegiance, declaring that they will put their life on the line on behalf your country. “That is what we need to remember and commemorate,” he said.
Speaking to the ongoing War on Ukrainian soil, McRae acknowledged “Peace is fragile.”
