Memorials to Afghan war, Victoria Cross winners to be added to Richmond's Landing
Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: May 12, 2015, Last Updated: May 12, 2015 6:02 PM EDT
Two new military memorials will be added to the capital in time for the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.
The National Memorial to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan and the National Victoria Cross Memorial will be placed on Richmond’s Landing, on the south shore of the Ottawa River downstream from Chaudière Falls. A design competition for each memorial will begin shortly, the government said.
The announcement was made Tuesday morning by Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole.
More than 40,000 Canadian troops served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014. The mission cost 158 Canadian lives, and more than 2,000 others were wounded or injured. The memorial will pay tribute to Canadians — both military and civilian — who served in combat and in the rebuilding of the country.
The Victoria Cross is Canada’s highest honour for valour in combat. That memorial will include the names of all 99 Canadian Victoria Cross winners — 38 of them were awarded posthumously — since the honour was established by Queen Victoria in 1856.
“The National Memorial to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan and the National Victoria Cross Memorial will honour the Canadians who have served our country with pride and valour,” O’Toole said in a statement. “They will also act as enduring reminders of our duty, as Canadians, to remember and reflect, with pride and compassion, on the efforts and sacrifices made by all those touched by war and conflict.”
The memorials will become part of the 2.8-kilometre Memorial Route that begins at Cartier Square Drill Hall and passes the National War Memorial on Elgin Street, Parliament Hill and the Canadian War Museum on LeBreton Flats.
Richmond Landing is already home to the Royal Canadian Navy Monument and has a panoramic view of the Ottawa River and Parliament Hill.
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