A series of events took place across the city on Nov. 11 to reflect on the sacrifices made by members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
This included a ceremony at the Field of Crosses, which drew hundreds of residents to line the intermittently closed Memorial Drive on Wednesday morning.
The ceremony, emceed by Global News nighttime anchor Dallas Flexhaug, began just after military personnel, cadets, and the Calgary Fire Department Pipes and Drums band made their official parade entrance at 10:30 a.m.
Each year, the day honours the fallen from a variety of conflicts, notably including the First and Second World Wars. The 2026 ceremony also acknowledged those who fought in Afghanistan, with the 25th anniversary of the war’s start having just passed in October.
Over the 12-year conflict, 40,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed on several operations as part of a handful of international coalitions against insurgent groups occupying parts of the country.
Canada’s involvement included early counter-terrorism and stabilization measures directly following the events of 9/11. Toward the end, remaining service members assisted in humanitarian efforts, such as rebuilding infrastructure.
When the war dissolved in spring 2014, a total of 158 casualties were reported. These figures, coupled with the scale of combat equipment deployed, have made the Afghanistan war the largest in Canadian history after the Second World War.
Among them were at least 14 troops from southern Alberta, as well as one Calgary-based journalist, the late Michelle Lang. The names of these soldiers are included among the 3,700 white crosses erected along Memorial Drive.
Singers from the Cantare Children’s Choir also memorialized them during the ceremony, holding a picture of each service member during one of their performances.
Attendees heard more songs during the hour-long ceremony, including the national anthem and “Sing You Home” by The Ennis Sisters.
Guest speakers also recited select poems, such as philantropist Murray McCann, who shared military medic John McCrae’s legacy composition “In Flanders Fields,” from which the poppy symbol derived its meaning.
Photos from the Field of Crosses 2026 Remembrance Day ceremony
