OTTAWA — Commonwealth countries mark Remembrance Day today and Canada’s bond markets are closed. CBC TV and CBC News Network will air coverage of the ceremonies at the National War Memorial in a special beginning 10 a.m. local time except in Atlantic Canada (11 a.m. in the Maritimes and 11:30 in the Newfoundland time zone). All Princess Auto locations are also closed for the day.
In the United States, today is Veterans’ Day, which honours living veterans. The Home Depot Foundation announced it will cover November mortgage payments for 500 veterans in need. The Memorial Day holiday in May corresponds more closely to Remembrance Day, but also serves more broadly as a start-of-summer long weekend comparable to Victoria Day. Both days are commonly marked by special retail promotions.
By contrast, “Canadians are very sensitive about the commercialization” of Remembrance Day, retail analyst Bruce Winter told CTV News. Two U.S.-based firms, computer maker Lenovo and Blinds.ca, apologized this month and withdrew previously announced promotions related to the day.
