Conservative MP Garnett Genuis has presented a petition “to save the Canadian passport” in the House of Commons, urging the federal government not to “erase” historical images such as the Vimy Ridge Memorial and Terry Fox from Canada’s redesigned passport.
“Petitioners call upon the government to reverse their plans to erase these symbols of national heritage and identity from the Canadian passport,” he said.
The new passport design, which was unveiled in May, sparked controversy for swapping heritage images like Vimy Ridge and the Fathers of Confederation for more generic natural images such as a squirrel eating a nut and a boy jumping into a lake.
The Royal Canadian Legion has taken umbrage with the erasure of Vimy Ridge, one of Canada’s greatest military feats, from the passport.
“We remain disappointed by the original decision to remove an image that signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides,” the Royal Canadian Legion said in a previous statement to The Epoch Times.
“The Vimy Memorial was a fundamental image, representing a defining moment for Canada. We would welcome a decision to retain significant military heritage images, such as the Vimy Memorial, as part of a potential revision of the new passport imagery.”
The new Canadian passport was announced on May 10 by then-IRCC minister Sean Fraser. The new passport will include an updated cover design of Canada’s maple leaf.
