It was an emotional day in Ottawa as thousands of people gathered at the National War Memorial to honour Canada’s veterans and fallen soldiers.

The official Remembrance Day ceremony opened Wednesday morning with a bugler sounding the sad notes of the Last Post.

Stooped veterans, serving members of the Forces and hundreds of ordinary Canadians lined the sidewalks around the towering granite and bronze memorial as a children’s choir sang “In Flanders Fields.”

An artillery battery by the East Block of the Parliament Buildings boomed out a 21-gun salute, CF-18s screeched by in a fly-past and silent sentries stood in their positions at the war memorial.

Veteran Roly Armitage, who attended the ceremony, laughed off the light rain that sprinkled the capital, saying that he was wet for two weeks after he waded ashore at Juno Beach.

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Justin Trudeau was among the crowd observing two minutes of silence on his first Remembrance Day ceremony as Canada’s prime minister. Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, laid a wreath at the memorial, as did several government ministers and legions.

“Today, let us remember and honour the many Canadians who have fought so bravely in defence of our country throughout our history, so that we might enjoy peace, freedom and democracy,” Trudeau said in a statement Wednesday morning.

“I call on Canadians to join me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to all those who have worked and fought so courageously to keep us safe. Today, and every day, we remain committed to ensuring they have nothing less than the care and support of a grateful nation.”

Sheila Anderson, whose son died while serving in Afghanistan in 2007, was this year’s Silver Cross Mother. She leaned on a cane as she laid a wreath at the memorial on behalf of all Canadian families that have lost loved ones during military service.

As the official events wrapped up around midday, members of the public paid their own personal tributes to Canada’s veterans and many laid poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston said it was important for Canadians to learn about past conflicts.

“Doing so reminds us of the bravery and sacrifices of veterans, and better equips us to create a more peaceful future,” he said in a statement. “By remembering and understanding our history, we can help bring about a more fair and just world.”

Hundreds of people also gathered at Old City Hall in Toronto for a Remembrance Day ceremony there. The event included a reading of “In Flanders Fields,” the laying of wreaths, two minutes of silence and a speech from Mayor John Tory.

Tory told the crowd about the importance of paying tribute to those who made the “ultimate sacrifice.” After the ceremony ended, children excitedly crowded around veterans to get their autographs.

Observers came to pay tribute to family members who served. Dave Quirk’s father and uncle came back alive after tours during World War Two, but “with a lot of terrible memories.”

“It’s important they [younger generations] know how terrible and inhumane war is, so it never happens again,” he said.

“You only have to look at how people [in Europe] embrace Canadians for landing in their country to know how important their contribution was.

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“I think people do still remember but looking around today, I think a couple of years back, there were a lot more wreaths than there are now.”

Earlier in the day, Tory was at Prospect Cemetery alongside veterans and their families for the 88th annual sunrise ceremony at the Cross of Sacrifice.

“We believe this is much more than a burial place,” said cemetery manager Antonietta Sweeney at the start of that ceremony. “This morning we remember together the courage of the thousands who went into battle to secure our futures.”

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne attended a ceremony at Sai Wan Cemetery in Hong Kong, “where hundreds of Canadians who fought & died during WWII are buried.”

John McCrae’s famous war poem, “In Flanders Fields,” was on display during a ceremony at Queen’s Park attended by Ontarians of all ages. The poem is marking its 100th anniversary this year; McCrae, a surgeon in the Canadian artillery, penned it during the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium in 1915.

Wynne was represented at the Queen’s Park event by her spouse, Jane Rounthwaite, and MPP Michael Coteau.

Several other commemorations were held in Toronto and the GTA, including a Royal Canadian Air Force ceremony at Mount Pleasant Cemetery and events organized by the Toronto Zoo, Fort York and the Azrieli Foundation.

The Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square will stay lit up in red to mark the day.

The Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre organized a special tribute by planting thousands of Canadian flags on the lawn outside the Veterans’ Centre. Several veterans were also on-hand as poppy wreaths were laid down during a ceremony at Sunnybrook Hospital on Wednesday morning.

Service on TTC subway cars, buses and streetcars paused for two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. Veterans and current members of the military (and one companion) can ride the TTC for free all day.

Almost 620,000 Canadians served in the First World War and more than 60,000 died. The last Canadian death in First World War combat occurred just two minutes before the war was officially over. There are more than 2,000 war memorials across Ontario.

Commemorations were held around the world. Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were in Australia with thousands of veterans and their families for a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

In Europe, where Nov. 11 is known as Armistice Day, leaders paid tribute to the many fallen soldiers of the First World War. Thousands lined the Champs Elysees in Paris to see President Francois Hollande lay a wreath at the Arc de Triomphe.

Hundreds stood quietly in London’s Trafalgar Square and around the Cenotaph memorial in central London as the bongs of Parliament’s Big Ben bell sounded at 11 a.m.

With files from Bruce Campion-Smith, The Canadian Press, David Bateman and Robert Benzie

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