Ottawa — Bytown, Parliament & the Rideau Canal
Confederation Square and the National War Memorial
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
Listen
Transcript
The National War Memorial was unveiled in 1939, originally commemorating Canadians who served in the First World War. Later inscriptions expanded its commemorative scope.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, added in 2000, contains remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier from the First World War.
In 2014 the memorial became the site of a terrorist attack when Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot while standing ceremonial guard.
That event added another layer to a monument already designed to absorb national grief.
War memorials often use timeless language. This one keeps acquiring time.
Stand back and notice how the memorial frames the route toward Parliament. Ottawa's ceremonial geography is carefully staged: sacrifice, state and capital positioned in a single visual sequence.