Head of Estonian Central Council blasts Liberals for opposing site of victims of communism memorial
Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 5, 2015, Last Updated: March 5, 2015 7:07 PM EST
The head of an organization representing Estonian-Canadians has accused the federal Liberals of “political gamesmanship” for opposing the chosen Wellington Street site for the Memorial to the Victims of Communism.
In an open letter Thursday to Liberal MPs Stéphane Dion, David McGuinty and Mauril Bélanger, Markus Hess, president of the Estonian Central Council in Canada, said members of his community took “deep offence” to their statements last week urging the federal government to relocate the memorial.
“By undermining this memorial with shallow, improvised rationalizations that sacrifice principle for insensitive political gamesmanship,” Hess scolded the MPs, “you diminish and devalue the victims’ contribution to Canada and disrespect their memory. This memorial deserves the appropriate, respectful and high-profile location chosen.”
Though he did not say so in his open letter, Hess is also listed as a member of the board of Tribute to Liberty, the charity raising funds for the memorial, on the organization’s website.
Hess’s intervention came as a spokesman for the Department of Canadian Heritage made it clear that the government is unwilling to reconsider the current site between the Supreme Court of Canada and Library and Archives Canada.
In an email response to Citizen questions about alternative sites, Tim Warmington, a media relations adviser with Canadian Heritage, said the memorial “will be prominently located on Confederation Boulevard beside the Supreme Court of Canada with views of the Peace Tower and other key federal institutions.
“A variety of sites were looked at, but this one was considered the most appropriate, given the proponent’s requirements, the theme and the proposed scope of the project,” Warmington said.
The choice of the Wellington Street site for the memorial has generated widespread opposition. Much of the criticism has focused on the fact that the property had been reserved for a new federal justice building to complete a long-planned “judicial triad” centred on the Supreme Court.
In his open letter, Hess – who made an unsuccessful bid for the Progressive Conservative nomination in the provincial riding of Kitchener-Conestoga in 2007 – called that a “contrived argument.
“Although you publicly profess to support the purpose of this memorial to the victims of communism,” he said, “by campaigning for the erection of an office building for civil servants in its stead, we can only conclude that you have a faint conviction in the principles and ideals upon which this memorial is being raised.”
Hess noted that close to one-quarter of all Canadians trace their heritage to people who fled communist regimes for sanctuary in Canada, including about 23,000 with Estonian roots. “Their story is our story, It reflects much of what makes us proud of our Canada and our history.”
With the rise of Vladimir Putin’s “Soviet-inspired military aggression, eradication and criminalization of factual history in Russia,” Hess said, it’s more important than ever to remember communism’s victims. The memorial will help ensure that future generations don’t forget “the horrors of communism” and how Canada welcomed those who suffered under it, he said.
“You should embrace its purpose and aid in its success, rather than engage in a process to delay, derail and diminish,” Hess told the Liberal MPs.
dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
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Even the massive bridge structure leads on to grass, I guess they expect the foot traffic to be so light that it won't wear down the lawn. These details give away the fact that this horrible design has absolutely no bearing on its context.
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