Watch: Millions of people are making donations and proudly donning poppies, honouring veterans for their sacrifice. Ross Lord looks into whether there will be enough to go around.
With Remembrance Day just around the corner, more Canadians than ever are wearing poppies to show their support for the veterans.
The Royal Canadian Legion says 19 million poppies have been distributed so far. That’s already one million more than the 18 million worn last year.
Long-time Royal Canadian Legion BC/Yukon Command Poppy Fund Coordinator Joanne Henderson says there has been an overwhelming response from the public, wanting to wear poppies to honour Canadian veterans this year.
“Evidently, everybody related to the loss of the two soldiers who passed in Ontario and Quebec,” says Henderson. “It’s been a long time since anything has happened on our soil. This is a new thing.”
Two Canadian soldiers were killed within days of each other in two separate incidents in Ontario and Quebec last month.
Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was gunned down while guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Oct.22. Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was run down in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, southeast of Montreal, a few days earlier.
The two incidents shocked the nation, prompting Prime Minister Stephen Harper to call them “terrorist” attacks.
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The red and black poppies represent a powerful symbol of remembrance for many Canadians. Though poppies were observed on graves of soldiers and in fields as early as the 19th century, the poppy has stood as a symbol of remembrance since 1921.
She says the poppies were available for anyone to pick up, but the Legion was not in the position to distribute them for donations.
Henderson says a similar wave of support swept through Canada 13 years ago when the World Trade Center attacks took place in the United States.
READ MORE: 6 things to know about the poppy for Remembrance Day
But there was another event that galvanized the public around the same time.
“What happened at the same time is the return of the Unknown Soldier. It was broadcast live for four days across our country,” says Henderson. “That really ignited the entire country to remember why we have our rights and freedoms today.”
Canada repatriated the remains of an Unknown Soldier from France in May 2000 and laid them to rest at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
A single set of remains was selected from among Canada’s 6,846 unknown soldiers of the First World War for return to Canada and re-interment at the memorial, where Cpl. Cirillo ultimately lost his life.
“So to have our young men pass just recently guarding the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it is a very emotional thing,” says Henderson.
More than $14 million that is raised annually through poppy donations goes toward programs and financial assistance to to veterans in need and their families.
What does a poppy mean to you? Share your stories.
With files from Irene Ogrodnik and Heather Loney
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