Who is the Unknown Soldier honoured at the Tomb in Ottawa?

The Unknown Soldier honoured at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa is an unidentified Canadian killed near Vimy Ridge in northern France during the First World War, whose remains stand in for all Canadians whose names are not on a marked grave. The Tomb sits at the foot of the National War Memorial in Confederation Square, dedicated on May 28, 2000 by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

The soldier's remains were exhumed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez, France, where they had been buried since 1917 with the inscription 'A Canadian Soldier of the Great War'. The Royal Canadian Legion and Veterans Affairs Canada coordinated the repatriation. The remains lay in state in Parliament's Hall of Honour for three days before the funeral, escorted by the Governor General's Foot Guards and the Royal 22e Régiment.

On May 28, 2000 the casket was carried by veterans through Ottawa to the National War Memorial in a procession that drew an estimated 20,000 mourners along the route. The remains lie in a granite sarcophagus designed by Mary-Ann Liu of Vancouver, with a bronze relief of a First World War helmet, sword, and maple leaf branch on the cover. Soil from each province and territory and from Vimy Ridge was placed in the tomb during the ceremony.

The Tomb is now the focal point of national Remembrance Day ceremonies. Each November 11 the Silver Cross Mother lays the first wreath at the Tomb on behalf of Canadian families who lost loved ones. Sentries of the Canadian Armed Forces stand watch year-round, and a permanent honour guard was instituted after the October 22, 2014 attack in which Reservist Corporal Nathan Cirillo was killed while guarding the memorial.