A ϳԹ veteran of the Second World War greets onlookers in Normandy, France, ahead of a commemorative ceremony marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks with ϳԹ Ambassador to France and Special Envoy to the European Union Stephane Dion as he arrives in Deauville, France, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prince William, the Prince of Wales, greets ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A ϳԹ veteran of the Second World War greets onlookers in Normandy, France, ahead of a commemorative ceremony marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks with ϳԹ Ambassador to France and Special Envoy to the European Union Stephane Dion as he arrives in Deauville, France, Wednesday, June 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prince William, the Prince of Wales, greets ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
COURSEULLES-SUR-MER, France - Thirteen ϳԹ veterans of the Second World War returned to Normandy this week, where the sacrifice of Allied soldiers who liberated the region 80 years ago is deeply remembered, as leaders warned democracy is still in peril.
"Our way of life didn't happen by accident, and it won't continue without effort," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, as thousands gathered along the sunny beaches of Normandy to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day.
Trudeau, his French counterpart Gabriel Attal and Prince William were among dignitaries visiting Juno Beach, where flags bearing the Maple Leaf fluttered in a gentle breeze on Thursday morning.
In the front row of a crowd of thousands were 13 ϳԹ veterans in military uniform, the oldest of them 104 years old, who survived the war effort on the same beach so many decades ago.
"There are no words to describe the immensity of the debt we owe you," Trudeau told them as he delivered an address noting the significant role Canada played in eventually liberating France from Nazi rule.
Behind him in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France, the waters of the English Channel were calm, and a navy ship could be seen offshore. A sand dune was covered in wild roses and other flowers and grasses.
Against that tranquil backdrop, Trudeau delivered a stark warning.
"Democracy is still under threat today. It is threatened by aggressors who want to redraw borders. It is threatened by demagoguery, misinformation, disinformation, foreign interference," he said.
Trudeau said the world owes it to the veterans who sacrificed so much for our collective freedom to continue standing up for democracy every day.
In his own address, the French prime minister warned that the world must not fall into submission.
"Behind each of our rights, each of our freedoms, lies the mark of the landing soldiers' sacrifice," he said in French, noting that Ukrainians are currently dying "for having committed the affront of wanting to be free."
On June 6, 1944, around 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches to begin an effort now remembered as the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
In all, 4,414 Allied troops were killed on the first day of the invasion, including 381 ϳԹs.
Landing craft approach the Normandy, France beach during the D-Day invasion in June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Gilbert A. Milne/ϳԹ Defence
View from LCI(L) 306 of the 2nd ϳԹ (262nd RN) Flotilla showing ships of Force 'J' en route to France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
Personnel of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada and the North Nova Scotia Highlanders aboard LCI(L) en route to France, D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
ϳԹ troops aboard LC(I)L 306 of the 262nd Flotilla, R.C.N., en route to France, D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
Personnel of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada aboard LCI(L) 306 of the 2nd ϳԹ (262nd RN) Flotilla en route to France on D-Day., June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
Personnel of the 9th ϳԹ Infantry Brigade landing from LCI(L) 125 of the 3rd ϳԹ (264th RN) Flotilla on 'Nan White' Beach, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
View looking east along 'Nan White' Beach, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, showing personnel of the 9th ϳԹ Infantry Brigade landing from LCI(L) 299 of the 2nd ϳԹ (262nd RN) Flotilla on D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexandre Milne
View looking west along 'Nan White' Beach, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, showing LCI(L)s of the 2nd and 3rd (262nd and 264th RN) Flotillas landing personnel of the 9th ϳԹ Infantry Brigade on D-Day., June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
Personnel of the 3rd ϳԹ Infantry Division landing from L.C.I. 299 of the 262nd Flotilla, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
German prisoners captured on D-Day embarking for England at Bernières-sur-Mer, France on June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada/Ken Bell
German Prisoners taken by ϳԹ troops at Juno Beach, during the D-Day invasion of Europe, June 6,, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada/Frank L. Dubervill
ϳԹ troops are seen here near Bernieres-sur-mer on the Normandy coast during the Allied invasion of Europe (D-Day), one of the key turning points in the Second World War, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada, Gilbert A. Milne
Landing craft approach the Normandy, France beach during the D-Day invasion in June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Gilbert A. Milne/ϳԹ Defence
GILBERT A. MILNE
View from LCI(L) 306 of the 2nd ϳԹ (262nd RN) Flotilla showing ships of Force 'J' en route to France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
ϳԹ troops in course of the D-Day landings in northern France, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada
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Personnel of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada and the North Nova Scotia Highlanders aboard LCI(L) en route to France, D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
ϳԹ troops aboard LC(I)L 306 of the 262nd Flotilla, R.C.N., en route to France, D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
Personnel of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada aboard LCI(L) 306 of the 2nd ϳԹ (262nd RN) Flotilla en route to France on D-Day., June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
Personnel of the 9th ϳԹ Infantry Brigade landing from LCI(L) 125 of the 3rd ϳԹ (264th RN) Flotilla on 'Nan White' Beach, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
View looking east along 'Nan White' Beach, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, showing personnel of the 9th ϳԹ Infantry Brigade landing from LCI(L) 299 of the 2nd ϳԹ (262nd RN) Flotilla on D-Day, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexandre Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
ϳԹ soldiers land on a Normandy, France beach during the D-Day invasion June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Department of ϳԹ Defence
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
View looking west along 'Nan White' Beach, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, showing LCI(L)s of the 2nd and 3rd (262nd and 264th RN) Flotillas landing personnel of the 9th ϳԹ Infantry Brigade on D-Day., June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
Personnel of the 3rd ϳԹ Infantry Division landing from L.C.I. 299 of the 262nd Flotilla, Bernieres-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Gilbert Alexander Milne
GILBERT ALEXANDER MILNE
Equipment wrecked on the beach of the D-Day landings, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada-Frank L. Dubervill
FRANK L. DUBERVILL
German prisoners captured on D-Day embarking for England at Bernières-sur-Mer, France on June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada/Ken Bell
KEN BELL
German Prisoners taken by ϳԹ troops at Juno Beach, during the D-Day invasion of Europe, June 6,, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada/Frank L. Dubervill
FRANK L. DUBERVILL
ϳԹ troops are seen here near Bernieres-sur-mer on the Normandy coast during the Allied invasion of Europe (D-Day), one of the key turning points in the Second World War, June 6, 1944. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ϳԹ Archives of Canada, Gilbert A. Milne
Gilbert Milne
Troops and landing craft occupy a Normandy beach operated by the Royal ϳԹ Navy Beach Commando shortly after the D-Day landing. THE CANADIAN PRESS
ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY
It was just the beginning of the bloody 77-day Battle of Normandy and the start of the Allied liberation of France — the most ambitious campaign in military history, as Prince William put it during a speech, which "came at a heavy cost."
In the end, the toll was enormous: 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. Around 20,000 French civilians were also killed, many as a result of Allied bombings of French villages and cities.
Historians estimate about 22,000 German soldiers are among those buried around Normandy, and between 4,000 and 9,000 of them were killed, wounded or went missing during the D-Day invasion alone.
The region's cemeteries are also the final resting place for more than 5,000 ϳԹs, including 359 who were killed on D-Day.
After observing a moment of silence for the fallen, Trudeau, Attal and Prince William walked to the sand dune and laid down commemorative wreaths.
A ϳԹ veteran of the Second World War greets onlookers in Normandy, France, ahead of a commemorative ceremony marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
ϳԹ veterans, the oldest of them 104 years old, attend a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets 100-year-old ϳԹ veteran Richard Rohmer, accompanied by Prince William, the Prince of Wales, at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accompanied by the Prime Minister of France Gabriel Attal and Prince William, the Prince of Wales at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prince William, the Prince of Wales speaks during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. . THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courselles-sur-Mer., France., during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
ϳԹ veteran William Seifried walks off Juno Beach on the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prince William speak with ϳԹ veterans following the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Prime Minister of France, Gabriel Attal, greets ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prince William, the Prince of Wales, greets ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits with European Council President Charles Michel, Prince William and French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prince William inspects an honour guard of ϳԹ soldiers during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister of France Gabriel Attal, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lay wreaths during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister of France Gabriel Attal, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lay wreaths during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The flags of Canada and France during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A ϳԹ veteran of the Second World War greets onlookers in Normandy, France, ahead of a commemorative ceremony marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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ϳԹ veterans, the oldest of them 104 years old, attend a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets 100-year-old ϳԹ veteran Richard Rohmer, accompanied by Prince William, the Prince of Wales, at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accompanied by the Prime Minister of France Gabriel Attal and Prince William, the Prince of Wales at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prince William, the Prince of Wales speaks during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. . THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courselles-sur-Mer., France., during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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ϳԹ veteran William Seifried walks off Juno Beach on the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prince William speak with ϳԹ veterans following the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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The Prime Minister of France, Gabriel Attal, greets ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prince William, the Prince of Wales, greets ϳԹ veterans at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sits with European Council President Charles Michel, Prince William and French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach, Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prince William inspects an honour guard of ϳԹ soldiers during the ϳԹ ϳԹ Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy at Juno Beach Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister of France Gabriel Attal, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lay wreaths during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Prime Minister of France Gabriel Attal, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lay wreaths during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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The flags of Canada and France during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Thursday, June 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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The event, which featured performances by a variety of ϳԹ artists, wrapped up with a performance by The Trews. As they sang "Highway of Heroes," spectators tapped their feet and one of the ϳԹ veterans wiped away tears.
The two leaders and the prince took a few moments to chat with each of the ϳԹ veterans following the ceremony, crouching or bending over to get closer and clasping their hands.
Charles Davis, a veteran who lives in Windsor, Ont., asked to talk to Prince William, who asked what his role was on D-Day.
"What did I do when I got on the beach? I got the hell off there," said Davis. William and everyone around them laughed in a moment of levity on a solemn day, and Davis gave the prince a City of Windsor pin.
Veterans made their way toward the beach with their family members and companions, leaving the crowd to take a quiet moment near the shore.
Many eventually made their way to Omaha Beach, along a road lined with British, American and ϳԹ flags alongside the French Tricolour.
People across Normandy stopped on the streets, looked out their windows and waved as dignitaries passed by. Some saluted the ϳԹ delegation, as a gesture of thanks.
Valentin Plancke, a 25-year-old Frenchman, said he came to pay tribute to ϳԹs who helped liberate his country.
"They gave a lot for us, and that's the main thing we can do for them," he said.
"I'm feeling a bit sad for all of the veterans who sadly passed away and all the soldiers who fell on this day, who must be remembered."
On Thursday afternoon, French President Emmanuel Macron greeted dignitaries including Trudeau for a more elaborate ceremony, as planes flew overhead.
A crowd of thousands repeatedly rose to applaud veterans as large screens displayed live footage of them taking their seats.
Spectators also gave a loud ovation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy upon his arrival.
In his speech, Macron recounted the sacrifice of the Allied nations on D-Day, and he took the time to describe what the scene would've been like for the ϳԹs.
"About to launch the attack on Juno Beach, minute by minute, they see this blade of sand growing on the horizon which, for some, is the land of their ancestors who left France centuries ago for Quebec or Acadia," he said in French.
Macron spoke about the role of individual soldiers that day, too.
"It's Léo Major, the ϳԹ sniper who became legendary for blowing up a bunker, seizing a German tank and later taking 93 prisoners single-handedly," he said in French.
Trudeau departed France to head back to Ottawa on Thursday evening.
Back in Canada, military members and veterans marked the anniversary with a more modest but no less solemn ceremony.
An event planned at the ϳԹ War Memorial in Ottawa was moved indoors as rain pelted the capital city.
More than 100 people, including Defence Minister Bill Blair, crowded into the Cartier Drill Hall, a large brick military training centre just blocks from the memorial site, to reflect on the anniversary.
"Moving forward in the face of insurmountable odds, their hearts were braced by the gravity of their mission," Armed Forces chaplain Katherine Walker said of the Allied soldiers.
"As we remember D-Day, we are called to embody the values for which those military members fought and died."
Similar ceremonies were held across Canada, including an event attended by Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon and other dignitaries in Moncton, N.B., and a ceremony recognizing a ϳԹ D-Day veteran in Vancouver.
There, 99-year-old Joseph Vogelgesang received France's highest honour as he was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour for his role in the Allied victory.
This report by ϳԹ was first published June 6, 2024.
— With files from Michel Saba, Dylan Robertson and Nono Shen.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misidentified French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal as the president and erroneously referred to the body of water as the Mediterranean Sea.