Normandy, France - 6 June 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today wrapped-up a one-day visit to Normandy, France, where he participated in a range of activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. He was accompanied by more than 100 Canadian Veterans and nearly one thousand Canadian youth and cadets.
As part of the commemorations, the Prime Minister participated in a commemorative ceremony at the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, an international commemorative ceremony at Sword Beach in Ouistreham, and a bi-national commemorative ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer.
At these events, the Prime Minister honoured the tremendous courage and sacrifices of Canadians and Allies who participated in these important historical battles, learned more about D-Day and the Battle of Normandy from Canadian Veterans who fought there 70 years ago, and helped ensure that the young Canadians present would remember those who fought so hard for the peace and freedom enjoyed today.
The visit was part of Prime Minister Harper’s broader visit to Europe (June 3 to 7), which also included stops in Warsaw, Poland (June 4), to mark the 25th anniversary of the beginning of Poland’s transition from communism to democracy, and Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the G-7 Summit. The Prime Minister will conclude his trip in Kyiv, Ukraine (June 7), to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Petro Poroshenko as the new President of Ukraine.
