Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: Remembrance Day, minus religion: Why faith-based prayers are nixed from Canadian military ceremonies this year
Description: This year, Remembrance Day ceremonies, including at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, will feel a little different for a number of reasons. The biggest change? Military chaplains who officiate at mandatory public events can no longer recite faith-specific religious prayers for soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in battle. Prayers are now to be called “spiritual reflections”, using non-religious, gender-neutral words. Chaplains can no longer wear their traditional purple sashes with symbols of their faith atop their uniforms.
While the changes have been on the books for some time, they weren't being enforced, until now. The changes have prom...