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The sacrifices of Canadians past and present were honoured alongside ­messages of hope Wednesday as small crowds braved the ­pandemic to mark Remembrance Day across the country and thousands more paid ­homage from their own homes.

Past ceremonies have largely focused on the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who fought in the two great wars, and this year was the 75th anniversary of the end of the ­Second World War.

Still, with eight members of the Canadian Armed Forces having died while on duty this year, and thousands more serving in long-term care homes battered by COVID-19, commemorations had an added level of resonance.

“We feel it as an organization, as an institution, when we lose people,” outgoing chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance told the Canadian Press.

“But we must be resilient and resolute and be able to carry on, because the defence of Canada happens here at home and abroad.”

During his annual Remembrance Day sermon at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Rabbi Reuven Bulka praised members of the ­Canadian Armed Forces for not flinching when called upon to serve in long-term care facilities struggling to contain outbreaks.

“Who responded without hesitation? Without being deterred by the potential dangers they faced? Our soldiers. And who once again delivered in a time of national crisis? Our soldiers,” he said.

Many of the traditional ­elements of the annual ceremony played out in Ottawa, but signs of the pandemic were everywhere.

Those participating in the ceremony wore masks, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gov. Gen. Julie Payette and Debbie Sullivan, this year’s Silver Cross Mother, whose son, Chris Saunders, died while serving on one of Canada’s four submarines in 2004.

Noticeably absent were ­surviving veterans from the Second World War and the Korean War, whose age puts them at particular risk from the novel coronavirus.

One who did attend was Bill Black, 87, who served aboard the destroyer HMCS Cayuga during the Korean War before becoming a submariner in the navy. He retired as a lieutenant-commander.

Black, who was invited by the Royal Canadian Legion, said he was disappointed Canadians were encouraged to watch on TV or online.

“I think they could have had more people here,” he said. “I think they could have opened it up a bit and advised people to use the six-foot rule distancing and wear masks. But nonetheless, it’s the way it is.”