In 2003, the Government of Canada declared April 9 as “Vimy Ridge Day”, to honour and remember the Battle of Vimy Ridge which took place during the First World War at Vimy Ridge, France, in 1917. The annual holiday was created through passage of Bill C-227, introduced by Brent St. Denis, the Member of Parliament for Algoma-Manitoulin. By law, it is required that the Canadian flag on the Peace Tower of Parliament Hill in Ottawa be lowered to half-mast. Small ceremonies, including the laying of wreaths, also normally take place the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France and other areas across Canada.
To learn more about the Battle of Vimy Ridge, please visit the The Vimy Ridge Foundation.