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The official Government of Canada delegation attended ceremonies of remembrance in Ravenna, Italy, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Italian Campaign.
December 4, 2019
On December 4, 2019 the Government of Canada delegation attended a ceremony in the town square of Ravenna, Italy. Every year on that day, the town of Ravenna gathers in the square to commemorate their liberation –Ravenna was liberated by the Canadian Corps on December 4, 1944. The delegation was led by the Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, and Alexandra Bugailiskis, Ambassador of Canada to Italy. They were joined by the Prefect of Ravenna, Enrico Caterino, and the Mayor of Ravenna, Michel de Pascale. Later in the day, members of the delegation attended a ceremony of remembrance at the Ravenna War Cemetery in Italy. The site for the cemetery was selected by the Army in 1945 for burials from the surrounding battlefields. Ravenna War Cemetery contains 955 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 63 of them unidentified and 438 are Canadian.
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The Canadian Armed Forces Pipe and Drums Band departs through Porta Sisi Arch toward the town square of Ravenna, Italy.
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Every year on December 4, the citizens of Ravenna gather in the town square to commemorate the town’s liberation.
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Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, participate in the procession through Ravenna.
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Canadian Armed Forces stand Vigil at the Cross of Sacrifice in the Ravenna War Cemetery.
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The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, addresses the crowd.
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Jim Summersides, a Veteran of the Italian Campaign, addresses the crowd on behalf of the Veteran delegation.
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