State funeral possible despite veterans' reluctance
Ottawa has not ruled out having a state funeral for Canada's last First World War veteran, even though the families of the three veterans still living have not embraced the idea.
An official from Veterans Affairs Canada said Friday thatno decision has been made about how to commemorate the death of the last veteran.
"The government of Canada is looking at a number of options," spokesperson Julie Daoust told CBC News Online. "A decision about how to mark the passing of Canada's last veteran has not been made yet."
Daoust would not say what options are being considered, but said ideas like a state funeral have not been eliminated.
The Canadian government is consulting with the veterans' families and will consider their wishes, she said. Whatever option is chosen, it will honour the last veteran, but also all others who served, Daoust said.
"It is our intent to appropriately pay tribute to all our First World War veterans," she said.
She did not know when a final decision would be made and said Veterans Affairs and the federal heritage and defence departments are working together on plans.
The families of the last three living veterans have all expressed hesitation about having a state funeral.
The families of Lloyd Clemett, 107, and John Babcock, 106, say they don't want one, at least for now.
Clemett's niece, Merle Kaczanowski, told CBC News that her uncle would rather have a simple memorial service.
"He himself feels there should not be attention given to the last person, but the attention should be given to them all," said Kaczanowski, who is Clemett's guardian.
The son of Dwight Wilson, who's 105, told the Globe and Mail that he would be more comfortable with a state funeral if it focused on all who served.
"I'm not saying I'm against it, I just need to know more," said Wilson's son, Paul. "My dad would be the last one to expect something like this. We're a bit in awe of all this."
The Canadian public has indicated it would like to see a state funeral for the last veteran.
In November, 100,000 Canadians signed an online petition demanding that one be held.
A poll launched that same month found that 75 per cent of Canadians are in favour of the idea. The poll and petition were run by the Toronto-based Dominion Institute.
On Nov. 21, Canadian MPs voted unanimously to have the funeral.
State funerals are one of the highest honours Canada can bestow on a person. They are usually reserved for prime ministers and governors general.
The last three living veterans were among 619,636 Canadians who served in the First World War.