Manitobans commemorate WW1 100th anniversary at The Forks

The 100th anniversary of the First World War is being commemorated in Winnipeg Monday.

• WW I: Canada commemorates 100 years since start of Great War

• The 100-year conflict that is the First World War

A ceremony held at the Forks Monday morning included the reading of government telegrams issued in 1914 as well as excerpts from what the prime minister at the time, Robert Borden, told parliament about the conflict.

Lawrence Toet, MP for Elmwood-Transcona, attended the ceremony and said the anniversary is timely and warrants reflection in light of current wars raging on in other parts of the world.

“With all the things that are happening in the world, having this commemoration at this time is actually more important than ever, because we need to be reminded of where we came from, and why we came from those situations and how we can try to avoid them from every happening again,” said Toet. "We've got to remember those sacrifices that were made also."

“It's very, very important that we never ever forget the men and women who gave so we have the freedoms to do things like we're doing today and to gather in this spot and speak freely and openly,” he said.

The Forks National Historic Site will have interactive displays this coming weekend in honour of the anniversary.