Ministers of National Defence and Veterans Affairs mark the 80^th anniversary of the Defence of Hong Kong

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, today issued the following statement:

December 8, 2021 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, today issued the following statement:

During the Second World War, Canadian soldiers engaged in a battle to defend the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong against a Japanese attack in December 1941. Eighty years ago this month, our soldiers demonstrated great courage and perseverance in an attempt to protect the people of Asia and the Pacific.

The Japanese invasion began on December 8, and the British Commonwealth forces, including Canadian troops, would bravely fight in the face of overwhelming odds. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered by advances on their flanks, our soldiers refused to surrender until the battle was irretrievably lost, on Christmas Day.

Some 290 Canadian soldiers were killed in battle, and another 493 wounded. The remaining soldiers were captured, spending more than three and a half years in harsh prisoner of war camps where more than 260 of them did not survive. Those who did return home were forever changed. In 2011, in a gesture of reconciliation, the Japanese government issued a formal apology to Canada's Veterans for their mistreatment of prisoners during the Second World War.

In all, more than 550 of the 1,975 Canadians who sailed from Vancouver in October 1941 never returned home. We pay our respects to these Canadians for the ultimate sacrifice which they made in this extraordinary fight for our freedom and the freedom of our allies.

We honour their bravery, courage, strength and selflessness – qualities which the Canadian Armed Forces continues to demonstrate today.

Quotes

“On the 80^th anniversary of the fight for the Defence of Hong Kong, we remember the Canadian soldiers who answered the call of service in a brave attempt to bring peace to the people of Asia and the Pacific. We owe them and their families our deepest respect and recognition.”
The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence

“Eighty years later, we honour the Canadians who stood fast at Hong Kong. Their bravery and sacrifice in the face of a brutal, determined enemy is something that we have a responsibility to remember, and today, we pay tribute to those hundreds of Canadians who were killed or wounded in combat, and those who endured – and those who never returned from – those prisoner of war camps.”
The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Contacts

Daniel Minden Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Phone: 613-996-3100
Email: Daniel.Minden@forces.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca

Cameron McNeill
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
Email: cameron.mcneill@veterans.gc.ca

Media Relations
Veterans Affairs Canada
Phone: 613-992-7468
Email: media@veterans.gc.ca