Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day to be held in Ottawa today

Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets fly past the National War Memorial during a D-Day commemoration, in Ottawa, June 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Two CF-18 Hornets will fly over downtown Ottawa this morning, as part of a ceremony to mark the 80^th anniversary of D-Day.

A wreath laying ceremony will be held at the Cartier Drill Hall on Queen Elizabeth Driveway at 10 a.m. to honour and remember Canada's participation in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. The ceremony was moved from the National War Memorial due to the rain and lightning in the forecast. 

The Canadian Armed Forces says two CF-18 Hornets will fly over the National War Memorial just after 10 a.m.  The aircraft will fly over the capital at an altitude no lower than 500 feet above the highest obstacle on their route.

"Flybys conducted by Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircraft are carefully planned and closely controlled for public safety and are dependent upon weather and flying conditions," the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement.

A Canadian ceremony was held on the beaches of Normandy Thursday morning to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of D-Day. June 6, 1944 was the beginning of the 77-day Battle of Normandy and the start of the Allied liberation of France.

Approximately 160,000 Allied troops landed on the coast of Normandy, including 14,000 Canadian troops from the 3^rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2^nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. In all, 4,414 Allied troops were killed on the first day of the invasion, including 381 Canadians.

With files from The Canadian Press