OTTAWA — As Remembrance Day approaches, Canada reflects on the dwindling number of surviving Second World War veterans, now estimated at just 3,691. This figure, reported by Veterans Affairs Canada, includes 667 women and 3,024 men. The number of living veterans from the Korean War is estimated at 1,909. Previously, the government combined these figures under the War Service Veteran population statistics, which indicated around 7,300 veterans in 2024.

Jeff Noakes, a historian at the Canadian War Museum, noted the significance of this moment. "The events of the Second World War are very rapidly moving from the realm of lived history of people you can talk to about these events into history, where you can’t talk to the people who remember them," he said.

The memories of the war, from the brutal D-Day landings in Normandy to the challenges of post-war life, are becoming increasingly rare. Noakes emphasized that even those who were children at the war's end are now in their 80s. "It’s this big shift from knowing a neighbor or a family member or somebody you could talk to about this into ... moving out of the experience of lived history," he added.

During the war, Canadians faced not only military conflict but also rationing, government control over information, and the internment of Japanese, Italian, and other Canadians deemed threats under the War Measures Act. The War Museum is currently showcasing a special exhibition titled "Last Voices of the Second World War," which features interviews with some of the last remaining veterans and their families. This exhibition will run through January 18.

The Second World War lasted from 1939 to 1945, resulting in the deaths of over 45,000 Canadian service members and injuries to more than 55,000 others while fighting against Nazi Germany. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the war's conclusion in Europe on May 8, 1945, and in the Pacific on August 15.

At this year's national Remembrance Day ceremony, Chief Justice Richard Wagner will step in for Governor General Mary Simon, who is recovering from a respiratory virus. Dignitaries including Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan, and Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight will attend the ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

Nancy Payne, this year’s National Silver Cross Mother, will lay a wreath on behalf of Canadian mothers who have lost children in military service. Her son was killed in Afghanistan in 2006.

The federal government aims to highlight the Canadian military's contributions throughout the Americas this Remembrance Day. Lt.-Col. Carl Gauthier, speaking before the Senate, remarked on the military's role in various domestic and international crises, stating, "Canada’s veterans have always been there for us and for our neighbors, from floods in the Prairies, to storms in the Maritimes, to rescues at sea, the Halifax explosion and earthquakes in Haiti."

Additionally, this year marks 25 years since the entombment of Canada’s Unknown Soldier, honoring the more than 118,000 Canadians who have sacrificed their lives in service to the country.

As the number of living veterans continues to decline, the importance of preserving their stories and experiences becomes ever more critical.