OTTAWA — Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is currently hospitalized due to a respiratory virus, preventing her from attending the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on Tuesday. Chief Justice Richard Wagner will step in for Simon, who serves as the King’s representative in Canada, at the National War Memorial. It is uncommon for the governor general to miss this significant event, but it is standard for the chief justice to take her place, as he also holds the title of deputy governor general. Rideau Hall did not disclose the specific virus affecting Simon or the duration of her hospitalization. Marilyne Guèvremont, a spokesperson for Rideau Hall, stated, "The Governor General is doing well and is recovering in hospital. We appreciate your understanding and respect for her privacy at this time. We will not be commenting further on that." During the ceremony, Wagner will accompany this year’s National Silver Cross Mother, Nancy Payne, as she lays a wreath in honor of Canadian mothers who have lost children in military service. The event will also be attended by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan, Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight, and other dignitaries at the cenotaph. Simon, who has been an advocate for Inuit rights, has served as governor general since July 2021. She was appointed following a workplace scandal that led to the resignation of her predecessor, former astronaut Julie Payette. This year’s Remembrance Day marks 80 years since the conclusion of the Second World War in Europe on May 8, 1945, and in the Pacific on August 15 of the same year. Additionally, it commemorates 25 years since the entombment of Canada’s Unknown Soldier, a tribute to an unidentified soldier from the First World War. Despite recent snowy weather, the Department of National Defence confirmed that the planned flypasts will proceed as scheduled. CF-18 fighter jets will fly over the National War Memorial and Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. Various aircraft, including CC-295 Kingfisher search-and-rescue planes over British Columbia and CH-148 Cyclone helicopters over Halifax, will participate in ceremonies across the country.