The Tomb is a fitting way to honour the sacrifices on which our freedoms were built. It is a memorial in Canada for Canadians. In a ceremony which aired on national television, the Unknown Soldier was laid to rest in a specially-designed sarcophagus directly in front of the National War Memorial.įrom that point on, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier became a focal point of commemoration for all memorial events at the National War Memorial. The funeral cortege included Their Excellencies, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada and John Ralston Saul, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada, Veterans, Canadian Forces personnel and members of the RCMP. In the afternoon of May 28, the Unknown Soldier was transported from Parliament Hill to the National War Memorial on a horse-drawn gun carriage provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The remains lay in state there for three days, until the morning of May 28, so that Canadians could view the casket and pay their respects. On the evening of May 25, the casket carrying the remains of the Unknown Soldier was transported to Parliament Buildings, where it was placed in the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block. Immediately after the ceremony, the Canadian delegation returned to Ottawa with a casket containing the soldier's remains on board the aircraft. At that point the Canadian Forces took over responsibility for the safekeeping and transport of the soldier's remains. On May 25, at a ceremony at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission turned over the remains to Canada. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, responsible for the care of graves and memorials of the Commonwealth forces members who died in the First and Second World Wars, selected an unidentified Canadian soldier from Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge, the site of a famous Canadian battle of the First World War. The Veterans Affairs contingent contained veterans and civilians, including two representatives of Canadian youth. On board was a delegation consisting of a Canadian Forces contingent including a 45-person guard, a bearer party, and a chaplain.

On May 23, 2000, a Canadian Forces aircraft flew to France to bring the Unknown Soldier back to Canada.

The tomb of the unknown soldier