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While thousands of bright red poppies could be seen inside SaskTel Centre for Tuesday’s Remembrance Day service, there was one veteran amongst the crowd wearing a less colourful reminder for Nov. 11.
Malcolm Young served in the Canadian military for 32 years, mainly in Afghanistan. He helped organize the 94th service as vice-chair of the Remembrance Day Planning Committee.
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Vice-chair of the Remembrance Day Planning Committee Malcolm Young said Nov. 11 is, “literally the most important day of the year.” (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)
For Young, who comes from a military family, Nov. 11 is the most important day of the year.
“No other day is more important. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries mean nothing to me versus this day,” he said, adding it’s about what Canada did as a country to protect its freedom.
Young said this year’s service followed the road map set by the first Remembrance Day ceremony held in 1931 by The Royal Canadian Legion.
“We very much respect the traditions of the ceremony that they identified as important to them,” he said, referring to the First World War veterans who primarily made up the Legion 94 years ago.
This year, on top of those traditions, the Saskatoon service had two focuses.
The first was commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. That included remembering eight Second World War veterans in Saskatoon who died this past year.
The other was honouring the 25th anniversary of the repatriation of Canada’s Unknown Soldier. Young said in May 2000, the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier were taken from a grave near Vimy Ridge in France and brought to Ottawa.
This soldier represents the “27,000 Canadians who have died in service, whose remains were either never found or identified,” according to Young. Among these thousands, Tuesday’s service commemorated four soldiers from Saskatoon whose remains haven’t been found.
In addition to a bright red poppy, veteran Malcolm Young also wore a bracelet with the names of friends who died in service at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon on Nov. 11, 2025. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)
Young said he’d also take time to remember those people whose names he did know. Underneath his sleeve on his right wrist, Young wore a black bracelet engraved with the names of friends who died in service.
Sitting in the stands of the SaskTel Centre were hundreds of people, each with their own reason for attending the service.
Attendee Keely Mooney said she came to show people still care in 2025 about what Canadian soldiers fought and died for.
“We will never forget about everything that they have done for us and continue to do for us,” she said, adding how it’s important to remember our past, “since history does repeat itself.”
During the Remembrance Day service in Saskatoon on Nov. 11, 2025, all veterans were asked to stand up, receiving applause for their service. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)
Mark Ramage, who came to see his grandchildren in the Cadet Program, also spoke of the importance of remembering the troops saying, “they sacrificed a lot for us and for us to be here today is a privilege to remember.”
Meanwhile, Ethan Andre was one of the younger attendees, coming with his family to the service.
He said what he’s learned about Remembrance Day in school is that, “everyone wears a poppy.”
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