Plans for a monument in Ottawa to honour the millions who died at the hands of communist regimes around the world have run up against a roadblock.
Worried that a “Memorial to the Victims of Totalitarian Communism” might offend Canadian communists, the National Capital Commission (NCC) wants the name of the monument changed.
NCC board members were unhappy with the initial name of “Victims of Communism,” says Alide Forstmanis of Tribute to Liberty, one of the groups working to bring the project to fruition.
“So we changed that to ‘Victims of Totalitarian Communism’ and they didn’t accept that either.”
The NCC, a government agency that oversees the use and development of national capital region land, has already approved the monument. But at a public meeting recently in Ottawa, several board members suggested changing the name to omit any mention of communism.
“I was unsettled by this name, and other members of the committee agreed with me,” said Helene Grand-Maitre. “We should make sure that we are politically correct in this designation.”
Adel Ayad said Canada has a communist party and communists might “not like” the memorial. “It’s not communism itself that we should be fighting here. It is rather totalitarianism we should be against in any form.”
However, in a teleconference with Tribute to Liberty last week, the NCC suggested “Canada: A Place of Refuge for Victims of Communism and Oppressive Regimes,” saying this would better reflect the experience of all Canadians who have fled different forms of oppressive regimes.
“They wanted something broader,” Forstmanis says. “But we don’t like the addition of oppressive regimes—we want it to be specifically to victims of communism.”
The NCC did not respond to a request for comment. Charlie Coffey, honorary chair of the memorial initiative, said in a press release that it’s important to keep the focus of the monument solely on the crimes against humanity wrought by communism.
“We often lose sight of the need to address particular historic incidents because in doing so we might not address others. This is a mistake. The experience of people under oppressive communist regimes is of global import and has had profound implications for many, many Canadians. This needs to be highlighted.”
As well as honouring the estimated 100 million people who died under communism around the world, the monument will serve as a thank-you to Canada for giving refuge to those escaping communist regimes since the first Mennonites fled Russia and came to Canada in the 1920s.
“We hope that a monument, as such, will create interest in learning about the nature of communism … maybe then people will understand how evil communism is,” says Forstmanis.
The memorial has received support from a number of dignitaries including Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Kenney reaffirmed his support last Thursday during question period in the House, saying, “we stand in full solidarity with the coalition of over two dozen cultural communities in Canada who came to this country as refugees from totalitarian communist states.
“We take seriously these crimes. We believe their victims must be remembered and we must teach future generations so that these crimes are never again repeated.”
The $1.5 million needed to build the monument will be raised by private donations. “We aren’t going after any government funds,” says Forstmanis.
The details for a national competition to design the monument will be worked out between the NCC and the groups involved, with the unveiling expected to take place sometime in 2011.
A public announcement about the project will be made on Nov. 9, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Forstmanis is optimistic that by then the NCC and the groups involved can agree on a name that accurately depicts what the memorial represents.
“We will get back to [the NCC] early next week and hopefully come to a very positive conclusion, because we can’t lump communism in with something else. It’s not that we say the others weren’t bad, it’s just that communism has lasted so long—it’s still around, it’s unique, it differs—and that’s why it needs to be on its own.”
Worried that a “Memorial to the Victims of Totalitarian Communism” might offend Canadian communists, the National Capital Commission (NCC) wants the name of the monument changed.
NCC board members were unhappy with the initial name of “Victims of Communism,” says Alide Forstmanis of Tribute to Liberty, one of the groups working to bring the project to fruition.
“So we changed that to ‘Victims of Totalitarian Communism’ and they didn’t accept that either.”
The NCC, a government agency that oversees the use and development of national capital region land, has already approved the monument. But at a public meeting recently in Ottawa, several board members suggested changing the name to omit any mention of communism.
“I was unsettled by this name, and other members of the committee agreed with me,” said Helene Grand-Maitre. “We should make sure that we are politically correct in this designation.”
Adel Ayad said Canada has a communist party and communists might “not like” the memorial. “It’s not communism itself that we should be fighting here. It is rather totalitarianism we should be against in any form.”
However, in a teleconference with Tribute to Liberty last week, the NCC suggested “Canada: A Place of Refuge for Victims of Communism and Oppressive Regimes,” saying this would better reflect the experience of all Canadians who have fled different forms of oppressive regimes.
“They wanted something broader,” Forstmanis says. “But we don’t like the addition of oppressive regimes—we want it to be specifically to victims of communism.”
The NCC did not respond to a request for comment. Charlie Coffey, honorary chair of the memorial initiative, said in a press release that it’s important to keep the focus of the monument solely on the crimes against humanity wrought by communism.
“We often lose sight of the need to address particular historic incidents because in doing so we might not address others. This is a mistake. The experience of people under oppressive communist regimes is of global import and has had profound implications for many, many Canadians. This needs to be highlighted.”
As well as honouring the estimated 100 million people who died under communism around the world, the monument will serve as a thank-you to Canada for giving refuge to those escaping communist regimes since the first Mennonites fled Russia and came to Canada in the 1920s.
“We hope that a monument, as such, will create interest in learning about the nature of communism … maybe then people will understand how evil communism is,” says Forstmanis.
The memorial has received support from a number of dignitaries including Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Kenney reaffirmed his support last Thursday during question period in the House, saying, “we stand in full solidarity with the coalition of over two dozen cultural communities in Canada who came to this country as refugees from totalitarian communist states.
“We take seriously these crimes. We believe their victims must be remembered and we must teach future generations so that these crimes are never again repeated.”
The $1.5 million needed to build the monument will be raised by private donations. “We aren’t going after any government funds,” says Forstmanis.
The details for a national competition to design the monument will be worked out between the NCC and the groups involved, with the unveiling expected to take place sometime in 2011.
A public announcement about the project will be made on Nov. 9, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Forstmanis is optimistic that by then the NCC and the groups involved can agree on a name that accurately depicts what the memorial represents.
“We will get back to [the NCC] early next week and hopefully come to a very positive conclusion, because we can’t lump communism in with something else. It’s not that we say the others weren’t bad, it’s just that communism has lasted so long—it’s still around, it’s unique, it differs—and that’s why it needs to be on its own.”
