Veterans’ Week: Defending our nation and peacekeeping around the world
Veterans’ Week, from November 5 to 11, is a time to honour and remember the sacrifices made by everyone who served, and continues to serve, our nation and the values we hold dear. During this week, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) will join Canadians as they pay tribute to the dedication, courage and selflessness of service members.
November 8 marks Indigenous Veterans Day, a day to honour the important contributions made by First Nations, Inuit and Métis veterans in service to Canada.
On Remembrance Day, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Canadians will gather and observe a moment of silence to remember and express their gratitude to those who have fallen in the line of duty. Lest we forget.
On November 11, to commemorate Remembrance Day, the Preservation Centre and the Preservation Facility in Gatineau will be illuminated in red from sunset to 11 p.m.
2023 marks the 75th anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping. Canada has a long history of contributing to peacekeeping missions around the world. More than 125,000 Canadian Armed Forces members have served in international peacekeeping efforts in dozens of countries. We recognize and remember their courage, service and sacrifice.
LAC houses a remarkable collection of documents and records that show Canada’s important military history. From diaries penned by soldiers in the trenches to photographs capturing moments of courage and sacrifice, our collection stands as a testament to the resilience and heroism of Canadian veterans.
Join us in commemorating Veterans’ Week by immersing yourself in the stories of those who served and by ensuring their legacies live on for generations to come.
Related links
- Blog: Indigenous Peoples in the First World War: Researching forgotten veterans
- Blog: Tom Cogwagee Longboat’s life and legacy. Listen to our podcast, “Tom Longboat is Cogwagee is Everything.”
- Blog: Vimy Ridge: a journey of maps (part 1) and Vimy Ridge: a journey of maps (part 2)
- In the Trenches online workshop on November 15 at the Winnipeg Public Library on digitized First World War records at LAC. It is offered in English only, and registration is open to all.
- The Lest We Forget project encourages students to research and write about individuals who served in the First and Second World Wars.
- Search the personnel records of Canadians who served in the First World War.
- The Passchendaele Archives’ Names in the landscape aims to add faces and stories to those who lost their lives during the Battle of Passchendaele.
Learn more
To find out more about Veterans’ Week initiatives, visit the Veterans Affairs Canada website.
Photos and videos
- Photo album – “Tom Longboat is Cogwagee is Everything”
- Photo album - “In Flanders Fields: A century of Poppies”
- Photo album – “Beyond Vimy: The Rise of Air Power”
- Image - Private Mary Greyeyes from Muskeg Lake, Cree Nation
- Image - Sergeant Tommy Prince (R), M.M., 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
- Images - First World War Veterans’ files: Indigenous soldiers’ enlistment and war activities
- Videos - Wartime newsreels
- Videos – Military and Peacekeeping