Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier The Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ( Tombe du Soldat Inconnu ) is located at the National War Memorial in Confederation Square , Ottawa . The Tomb of the " Unknown Soldier " was added to the war memorial in 2000 , and holds the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier who died in France during World War I . The unidentified soldier was selected from a cemetery in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge , the site of a famous Canadian battle of the First World War . The original headstone of the Unknown Soldier is the sole artifact and the focal point of Memorial Hall in the Canadian War Museum . The hall was designed in such a way that sunlight will only frame the headstone once each year on the 11th of November at 11 : 00 am . The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was created to honour the Canadians whether they be navy , army , air force or merchant marine , who died or may die for their country in all conflicts - past , present , and future . Unknown soldier . The body of the soldier was formerly buried in Plot 8 , Row E , Grave 7 , of the Cabaret - Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez , France , near the memorial at Vimy Ridge , the site of the first major battle where Canadian troops fought as a combined force . At the request of the Canadian government , the Commonwealth War Graves Commission selected one of the 1 , 603 graves of unknown Canadians buried in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge . The remains of the soldier were exhumed on the morning of May 16 , 2000 , and the coffin was flown in a Canadian Forces aircraft to Ottawa on May 25 , accompanied by a guard of honour , a chaplain , Royal Canadian Legion veterans , and representatives of Canadian youth . In Ottawa , the unknown soldier lay in state for three days . On the afternoon of May 28 , the body of the unknown soldier was transported from Parliament Hill to the National War Memorial on a horse - drawn gun carriage provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ( RCMP ) . Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien , as well as veterans , Canadian Forces personnel , and members of the RCMP , were in the funeral procession . Then , with appropriate ceremony , the body of the unknown soldier was re - interred in a sarcophagus in front of the War Memorial . At the former burial site of the unknown soldier , a grave marker similar to the other headstones in the Cabaret - Rouge Cemetery has been placed on the now - empty grave . The marker is inscribed with these words : Tomb . The tomb is 3 . 5 metres ( 12 ft ) long , 2 . 5 metres ( 8 ft ) wide and 1 metre ( 3 ft ) high . It is built of Caledonia granite originally quarried in Rivière - à - Pierre , Quebec , with a bronze relief sculpture and four bronze corner pieces . The bronze work was designed by Canadian artist Mary - Ann Liu and cast in Roberts Creek , British Columbia . Both the tomb and sculpture reflect some of the themes and style of the Vimy Memorial , designed by Walter Seymour Allward . At the first Remembrance Day following the tomb ' s installation , a new tradition formed spontaneously as attendees placed their poppies on the tomb . This tradition , while not part of the official program , is widely practiced , with others leaving cut flowers , photographs , or letters to the deceased . The spontaneous display of respect has also carried over to Canada Day , when the public leaves small , paper Canada Flags on the tomb . The Royal Canadian Legion commissioned a small work of art on the theme of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ( Canada ) ( 2001 ) by André Gauthier ( sculptor ) . Canada Day 2006 . Some , including Canadian veterans of the Royal Canadian Legion , thought the site of the tomb deserved a military or police guard of honour as a symbol of respect and to protect it from vandalism and desecration . An incident on July 1 , 2006 brought these demands into sharp focus when Dr . Michael Pilon , a retired Canadian Forces major , photographed three young men urinating on the nearby War Memorial shortly after the annual Canada Day fireworks show over nearby Parliament Hill . In the summer of 2007 , a pair of sentries was mounted by the Ceremonial Guard in full dress uniform , from 9 am to 5 pm .