We will never forget. UNA honours and recognizes the sacrifices of all who have served this Remembrance Day

On November 11, we honour and remember the sacrifices of those who have served in the Armed Forces and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. 

This commitment to never forget the sacrifices those who have paid the ultimate price in the service defence of our country is heavier this year following the accident that claimed the lives of four young Canadian soldiers at CFB Wainwright and injured dozens of others. 

Nurses, physicians, and health care workers at the Wainwright Health Centre, CFB Wainwright and hospitals around the province showed bravery and professionalism while providing care to everyone impacted by that terrible tragedy.

Delegates to UNA’s Annual General Meeting have collected more than $13,000 in donations for the families of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry soldiers injured or killed in the fire. UNA will match the total donations raised at the AGM by UNA members, and funds collected will be donated to support PPCLI families through a Canadian Army liaison.

Wearing a red poppy is a powerful visual pledge

Wearing a red poppy is a visual pledge never to forget those who served and sacrificed. The red poppy is a powerful symbol of remembrance, sacrifice, and honour for all Canadians who have served and died in times of war and peace. Canadians from coast to coast wear red poppies during the lead-up to Remembrance Day, on November 11.

The red poppy became an important symbol after the publication of "In Flanders Fields,” a poem written during the First World War by Canadian Lieutenant-colonel John McCrae after he presided over the funeral of a friend and fellow soldier. More than a century later, McCrae’s poem continues to poignantly express the tragedy of the losses of war, and the importance of carrying on their memories.

UNA was honoured to receive the delivery of 1,300 red poppy pins from Janice Drader of the Wetaskiwin Royal Canadian Legion Branch 86 on October 26. UNA donated $1,500 to the Legion Poppy Fund that were distributed to the more than 1,000 nurses attending the UNA AGM in Edmonton on October 27 to 29, 2026.

Honouring Canada’s Nursing Sisters

Alberta’s Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses honour and remember the service and sacrifices of the many nurses who served in Canada’s Armed Forces.

Professional nurses entered the Canadian Army Medical Corps as Nursing Sisters in 1904 and were the first women in the British Empire to receive military rank.

More than 2,800 Nursing Sisters served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps during the First World War. Because of their blue dresses and white veils they were nicknamed the “bluebirds.“

Most Nursing Sisters during the First World War served overseas in England, France and the Eastern Mediterranean where they provided skilled nursing care to the sick and wounded, often working under enemy fire.

At least 45 Nursing Sisters had lost their lives by the end of the First World War, dying from enemy attacks or disease.

During the Second World War, more than 3,649 Nursing Sisters served and took on increasing responsibility and risk, serving close to combat zones in casualty clearing stations and on mobile surgical teams. Medical units followed the soldiers fighting on the front lines and were frequently within range of enemy guns and subject to shelling.

Hundreds Canadian military nurses were decorated for their service in both world wars.

The devotion of Canada’s military nurses have earned them a very high reputation among the soldiers with whom they served and provided medical care. Veterans Affairs Canada describes the Nursing Sisters as “unyielding women who braved all the hardships of war to do their duty and care for their patients, and of those who nursed the casualties left in the wake of war.”

In 1926, the Nurses' Memorial commemorating the fallen Nursing Sisters was unveiled in the Centre Block of Canada’s Parliament Building in Ottawa. The marble sculpture, which is located just outside the doors of the Parliamentary Library, was a result of years of advocacy by the Canadian Nursing Association and its provincial affiliates.

On Remembrance Day, we honour the sacrifices of the Nursing Sisters and all those who have served in the Armed Forces.