COURSEULLES-SUR-MER, France — Thirteen Canadian veterans of the Second World War returned to Normandy this week, where the sacrifice of Allied soldiers who liberated the region 80 years ago is deeply remembered, as leaders warned democracy is still in peril.

“Our way of life didn’t happen by accident, and it won’t continue without effort,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, as thousands gathered along the sunny beaches of Normandy to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day.