Topics

Trudeau travelling to Normandy to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day

  • Sarah Ritchie

    Sarah Ritchie

  • Canadian Press

  • June 5, 2024

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a speech on 75th Anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-Sur-Mer, France on Thursday, June 6, 2019. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his way to Normandy, France, to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his way to Normandy, France, to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Around 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches on June 6, 1944, in what's now known as the beginning of the end of the Second World War.

In all, 4,414 Allied troops were killed that day, including 381 Canadians.

Trudeau is set to attend a Canadian ceremony at Juno Beach on Thursday before heading to an international ceremony at nearby Omaha Beach.

Canada's delegation also includes 13 Second World War veterans, the oldest of whom is 104.

Marie-Eve Vaillancourt, the executive director of the Juno Beach Centre, says there are Canadian flags on display throughout the villages around the beach, and people in the area have not forgotten the sacrifice of the Canadian troops.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2024.