Canadians mark 80th anniversary of end to WWII in Ottawa

By Canadian Press on August 15, 2025.

OTTAWA — Descendants of war veterans gathered today at the National War Memorial in Ottawa to mark the official end of the Second World War.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of a global conflict that claimed the lives of more than 45,000 Canadian soldiers.

Sweat poured down the faces of those assembled in the August midday heat as the Canadian Armed Forces bugler performed the Last Post.

Michael Babin, head of the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association, says there are no living veterans remaining out of the nearly 2,000 Canadians who took part in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941.

He says the last known veteran from that fight died a little more than a year and a half ago, at the age of 106.

Babin says it’s important to remember and reflect on that brutal battle because those who experienced it are no longer around to tell their stories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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