Across Canada today people paused at 11 o'clock to remember soldiers who died in war.

In Montreal hundreds of people attended a ceremony on the McGill University campus that many said was especially poignant.

Mayor Denis Coderre was among the dignitaries paying their respects, joined by provincial transport minister Robert Poeti and Senator Jacques Demers.

Coderre said the ceremony reminds him of his family.

"It was a little bit personal for me because one of my greatest heroes was my uncle, who was a surgeon for the Regiment de la Chaudiere. He was there to open the fields in Belgium, the Netherlands," said Coderre.

"He passed away this year and of course it's very moving, I'm very emotional about it."

Many said they felt the need to attend a ceremony this year in light of recent attacks that took the lives of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo.

"To see the support from the public is also heartwarming, especially with the last tragic events that happened," said Master Corporal Karine Louis-Jacques. "It's also a reminder that life is short and to really treasure the ones we love, because we never know."

Capt. Mathieu Dufour said the deaths were also an important reminder to Canadians that we are affected by world events.

"Those losses you are referring to were shocking and a surprise, to not just the military, but to the population in general. It shows that we're not living in a bubble and that we have to be ready," said Dufour.

In Quebec City Premier Philippe Couillard and others paid their respects to fallen soldiers at the Cross of Sacrifice on the Plains of Abraham.

About 400 military personnel attended the ceremony in full uniform, under the careful watch of snipers on nearby rooftops, standing on guard in the unlikely event of an attack.

"We're all proud to be there in uniform," said Dufour.

Couillard's son is in the armed forces, and Couillard took the opportunity to inspect the guard as he paid his respects.

Meanwhile in Ottawa, thousands gathered at the National War Memorial, including Princess Anne, daughter of the Queen.

This year's Silver Cross mother is Gisele Michaud, and she laid a wreath in memory of her son Master Cpl. Charles-Philippe Michaud, who died of injuries suffered while fighting in Afghanistan in 2009.