On behalf of Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney, Minister of State Gordon O'Connor lays a wreath at the National War Memorial to commemorate the 96th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on Tuesday in Ottawa. On Easter Monday in 1917 during WWI, four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought side by side for the first time and captured Vimy Ridge after four days of battle. There were more than 10,600 casualties, with 3,600 lives lost. "Ninety-six years after that fateful day, we remember our proud history and those who fought in this historical battle which marked the birth of our proud and modern Canada,” Blaney said in a statement. Veterans Affairs Canada