OTTAWA—The chair of the group that spearheaded the Memorial to Victims of Communism soon to be built in Ottawa says the opposition to the monument’s location reflects a lack of knowledge and understanding about the issue as well as complacency in the broader society.
The $5.5 million memorial is slated to be built on a site between the Supreme Court and Library and Archives Canada, with construction expected to start this year.
Ludwik Klimkowski, chair of Tribute to Liberty, the charity behind the creation of the memorial, says the 5,000-square-metre site is “one of the most pristine points in Ottawa” and the “right location” for the monument.
“The placement right next to the Justice Building and the Supreme Court of Canada is truly symbolic. That symbolism actually allows for justice to be delivered to those who found refuge in this country,” Klimkowski said in an interview.
Earlier this week, Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar asked Public Works Minister Diane Finley to reconsider the location of the memorial, saying it wasn’t appropriate to have it on Wellington St., “one of our major thoroughfares to tell our story as a country.”
“In terms of the narrative of our history, is this what we want to have given prominence? I don’t think it’s appropriate to have it there,” he wrote to Finley, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
