Flag Lowered to Honour Peacetime Fallen

Summary#

This bill creates a national day of remembrance for Canadian Armed Forces members who died in peacetime in Canada. It designates October 22 each year as Peacetime Service and Sacrifice Memorial Day and requires the national flag on the Peace Tower to be lowered to half-mast on that day (Designation; Flag at half-mast). The Act’s purpose is to encourage all Canadians to remember and honour these members (Purpose).

• Designates October 22 each year as “Peacetime Service and Sacrifice Memorial Day” (Designation).
• Requires the Peace Tower flag to be flown at half-mast on that day (Flag at half-mast).
• Does not declare a statutory holiday or require closures or ceremonies (Bill text).
• Context: about 2,000 peacetime, on‑duty deaths since 1914; 177 Regular Force and at least 36 Reserve Force suicides in 2013–2024 (Preamble).
• Notes specific 2014 attacks that killed Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo (Preamble).

What it means for you#

• Households and the public:

  • The day is for remembrance each year on October 22. The Act does not require you to take part or observe any specific activity (Purpose; Bill text).
  • The bill does not state that this is a paid day off or a school holiday (Bill text).

• Workers:

  • No mandated paid leave or schedule changes. The bill does not change employment rules (Bill text).

• Businesses and organizations:

  • No required closures, observances, or signage. Normal operations may continue (Bill text).

• Federal institutions (Parliament Hill):

  • The national flag on the Peace Tower must be lowered to half-mast on October 22 each year (Flag at half-mast).

• Provinces, territories, municipalities, schools:

  • No requirement in the bill to lower flags or hold events. Any observance beyond the Peace Tower is not mandated by this Act (Bill text).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• No fiscal note identified. Data unavailable.
• No appropriations or new programs are created by the bill (Bill text).
• The only explicit operational requirement is lowering the Peace Tower flag to half-mast annually (Flag at half-mast).
• Any broader communications or events are not required by the bill. Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• It formally honours members who died on Canadian soil during peacetime, addressing about 2,000 such deaths since 1914 (Preamble).
• It provides a clear, annual date for remembrance that complements Remembrance Day without changing it (Designation; Preamble).
• Half‑masting the Peace Tower flag creates a visible national symbol with limited administrative burden (Flag at half-mast).
• It raises awareness of non‑combat risks, including suicides among Regular and Reserve Forces in 2013–2024 (Preamble).
• It encourages nationwide remembrance while imposing no closures or costs on employers or schools (Bill text).

Opponents' View#

• The bill is symbolic only; it creates no benefits, services, or prevention programs for affected families or serving members (Bill text).
• It may cause confusion if people assume it is a statutory holiday; the bill does not state any holiday status or closures (Bill text).
• The half‑mast requirement applies only to the Peace Tower, not to other federal, provincial, or municipal buildings, which limits national visibility (Flag at half-mast).
• Adding a new remembrance day could dilute attention from November 11, which already honours service and sacrifice; the bill does not address overlap (Preamble; Designation).
• Implementation risk is low but recurring; it adds an annual protocol step without clear measures of public engagement or impact (Flag at half-mast; Purpose).