This is a surprise,  Trudeau stated in 2016 that Canada has no ‘core identity’, this is a part of Canada's identity. Remembrance of those who have fallen is a tradition of Canadians and is a part of their culture as they value the rights and freedoms that were fought for in World Wars by men and women from all ethnic backgrounds (Remembrance services are delivered in French or English as those are the official cultural languages of Canada enforced by Liberal PM Pierre Trudeau in the 1970's -- Justin's Dad).  Mr. Trudeau appears to have 180 degree turns on issues that require some "acting" in the international eye (such as this event).

Definition of national identity in English (en.oxforddictionaries.com):
national identity
NOUN
A sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language.
‘his country's lack of an explicit national identity’