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Results: 16 - 30 of 85
View Luc Desilets Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you.
I would like to ask a question about another area.
The departmental plan of Veterans Affairs Canada earmarks $43 million for commemoration. It is a significant amount of money, and it's justified. There will no doubt be a number of commemorative activities, but I suspect that this will not be enough to meet all the demands.
There seems to be a problem with the investments in memorial restoration and conservation. Short-term assistance is often available—again, those are some good amounts—but there is rarely long-term financial security for the organizations.
Is Veterans Affairs Canada satisfied with what it is providing in terms of long-term financial security for small and large Canadian commemorative sites?
Rick Christopher
View Rick Christopher Profile
Rick Christopher
2021-05-03 16:05
I would like to start by saying that we get a lot of requests in a financial year. A lot of organizations have built monuments or sites with private sector donations but have run out of funds because of the pandemic or other reasons. So they apply to the department for more funding to maintain or restore monuments.
I think they are free to apply to the program, but the challenge is certainly ongoing, because monuments are being built and we wonder whose responsibility it is to maintain them. Is it the responsibility of Canadians? We have to figure out what to do in the long term. Often, organizations build monuments and the Government of Canada is left with the responsibility to maintain them. So we frequently talk to those groups to see what their long-term management plan is for the sites.
View Cathay Wagantall Profile
CPC (SK)
That's great. As I think about the fact that I got to go, I have an incredible desire to see my children and grandchildren have that experience, maybe just to light that fire. I can see how challenging it would be to do that.
In our notes, it reads, “Lastly, the 10-year strategic plan calls for the completion of the national monument to Canada's mission in Afghanistan on LeBreton Flats in Ottawa.” Where is that mission right now in terms of seeing that come to fruition? What's the date that we can tell them this is going to be completed?
Rick Christopher
View Rick Christopher Profile
Rick Christopher
2021-05-03 16:17
Mr. Chair, I'll start with some of the challenges we face, and I'll let Paul wrap it up.
I will tell you that we've been working hard with our partners at Heritage and the National Capital Commission. Of course, the pandemic hit. We've even done some things like use drone imagery to help the five finalists who have been selected do a virtual site visit. There have been some delays because of that, and we're working hard to make sure we get this. We continue this despite some of the challenges, and we will make sure there will be a meaningful place for veterans and all Canadians to commemorate Afghanistan.
Did you want to talk about some timelines, Paul?
Paul Thomson
View Paul Thomson Profile
Paul Thomson
2021-05-03 16:18
A key one is upcoming. Our phase two of the consultation work is coming. Rick alluded to the fact that we are down to five finalists who have been working diligently on their design concepts. They are going to be presenting those concepts to the Canadian public very shortly—in mid to late May.
As Rick said, unfortunately, it all has to be virtual. We're going to open it up to key stakeholders first—that is, families and others.
Paul Thomson
View Paul Thomson Profile
Paul Thomson
2021-05-03 16:18
They will be able to look at the concepts and provide their feedback. Then we'll open it up to the public for the same. That's a key upcoming phase that we are getting into in terms of consultation.
Once that happens, we will select the jury. Based on all the feedback, we'll select a winner.
View Cathay Wagantall Profile
CPC (SK)
How many years down the road is this? You must have a sense.
Paul Thomson
View Paul Thomson Profile
Paul Thomson
2021-05-03 16:19
In terms of picking a winner, this is all going to happen within the next three to four months—in early fall. Once the winning design architect is chosen, they'll go away and work on their actual design and the actual monument. That's going to take some time.
It's slated now for a November 2024 unveiling. Times could shift in light of the situation we're in.
View Rachel Blaney Profile
NDP (BC)
Thank you, everyone. I apologize for missing your presentation.
I heard Mr. Casey's question and I really couldn't agree more. We're hearing and seeing a lot more interaction in community events.
I know COVID has changed it, but this past Remembrance Day we had a small event and I was absolutely amazed to see how many of our veterans came, from the Second World War and the Korean War. Some of them were very elderly, but they were still there. It was hard for our cadets to not be able to go and help them walk closer. I appreciate how these opportunities for us to remember are really challenged during this time.
At the last committee meeting, we heard from Caitlin Bailey, the executive director of the Vimy Foundation. She talked about the concern she had around overseas commemorations—that mentality of “if it's out of sight, it's out of mind”—and making sure Canada is proactive in providing sustainable funding for the maintenance of memorials.
I wonder if you could give us a bit of an update and tell us if VAC is committed to ensuring that sustainable funding is there for the maintenance and upkeep of overseas commemorations, which I know we all agree are so important for us in our international reputation.
I will leave it to you to decide who should answer.
Rick Christopher
View Rick Christopher Profile
Rick Christopher
2021-05-03 16:31
Mr. Chair, I can start.
I absolutely agree, and as you can imagine, there are a number of challenges with having sites overseas. We have 14 sites. Two of them are national historic sites.
There are a number of organizations that we work with on a regular basis. Some of them do approach us on an ongoing basis for additional funding, whether that be for maintenance or interpretation. Some of these are ad hoc and some of them are more ongoing. For instance, if we look at the Juno Beach Centre, which is run by a non-governmental organization, we have an ongoing relationship in terms of funding for them.
For some of the others, though, such as if you're talking about the Vimy Foundation, we partner with them and provide funding, really to enhance the experience for people who are either interested in Vimy or visiting Vimy.
Maybe Paul can talk a bit about some of the ongoing projects we have with them.
Paul Thomson
View Paul Thomson Profile
Paul Thomson
2021-05-03 16:32
Very quickly, yes, the Juno Beach Centre and Vimy Foundation are very key and important partners for us in the work we do. We are working on a policy around third parties and how to deal with that ongoing asset management issue that we have, but we are working very well with both of them.
Even on the content development side, we've done some wonderful things with the Vimy Foundation recently that they're working on in terms of exhibits and content for Vimy, and the same with the Juno Beach Centre. They're very much aligned with our strategic plan and looking for opportunities for their own respective organizations to work with that.
I know that's not part of your question, but I want to flag that the relationship is good with both of those key groups and that we are working on a third party policy to put some parameters around how that ongoing asset management issue is going to look and feel going forward.
View Darrell Samson Profile
Lib. (NS)
Steven, thank you very much for that information, because 9,000 is just about 25% of the 40,000 who participated in the Afghan war, and that's major. That's really important.
I see Legions going out and trying to bring those individuals in more actively. I thank you for that work and that important celebration you brought to the table in 2015.
I hear from some Afghan veterans—March 31 marked seven years since the end of the Afghan war—that some of them still feel that the cenotaphs and the memorials don't recognize their dates and service of peace, if you want.
Are you hearing that, and what do you see as being a solution to that? I have a number of veterans who are saying they're not being recognized as they should be. What could you suggest?
Steven Clark
View Steven Clark Profile
Steven Clark
2021-05-03 16:49
Yes, I'm hearing the same thing, and that should never be. We have to make sure that service is recognized, and something as simple as placing dates on a community war memorial will go a long way to showing those who served in Afghanistan that we really care what they did and want to recognize that.
As you know, those dates were added to the National War Memorial, something we've encouraged Legion branches across the country to do. If they have a Legion-owned memorial, please add those dates. If it's not a Legion-owned memorial, talk to the town or the municipality. They should be recognized; we can't forget them.
View Andy Fillmore Profile
Lib. (NS)
View Andy Fillmore Profile
2021-05-03 17:12
Thank you, Chair.
Mr. Clark, thank you so much. As the sole witness for an hour, with 12 MPs firing rapid questions at you, you're doing remarkably well. Thank you for your lucidity, and moreover, for your incredible work.
At one point in your testimony you raised the alarm that if we don't have Legions and branches, where are we?
I see the work of the Legions in Halifax: the Spryfield Legion, the Vimy Legion and the White Ensign Legion. The Vimy Legion provides the colour guard for our main Remembrance Day events. The Spryfield Legion has become a living room for the community there. The programs that support veterans are so important, with the extended family and all the benefits that brings. However, the Legions also facilitate remembrance, don't they? They carry the stories forward, whether it's in an oral tradition or with the stories of what's on the wall of the Legions, or whether it is turning up to be the colour guard at important events.
We're seeing the membership numbers fall. I'm thinking particularly of the White Ensign Legion. They were trying everything, having barbeque nights and bringing in different kinds of music, trying to recruit younger members to keep the good work going. They were having a very difficult time with that. That's not my real question.
If you have any secrets for us on how we can increase youth membership in our local Legions, I would love to hear that from you, or how we can help, if there was a program that VAC could undertake that could help in some way.
If you have an answer to that, that's great, but I really want to talk to you about physical memorials. For example, at the Spryfield Legion, there is a granite memorial. I don't know the story of who paid for it or how it's maintained, but there are a number of memorials around Halifax, as there are in towns and cities across the country, that have cropped up organically.
Famously, in Halifax, as I mentioned at our last meeting of the committee, there is the HMCS Bonaventure anchor. A very plucky crew of survivors of the HMCS Kootenay disaster had it renovated for the 75th anniversary of Kootenay, but it was very unclear about whose responsibility it was and who had to pay for it. In the end, it all worked out, but it wasn't clear.
I wonder whether there is any insight you might give us on how we can better care for those smaller memorials. The glamorous ones are in the news on Remembrance Day, but I'm asking about those smaller community monuments.
Thank you.
Steven Clark
View Steven Clark Profile
Steven Clark
2021-05-03 17:15
I know that a number of years ago there was a national repository of memorials across the country that was gathering pictures and information so that people would know where they were and who was maintaining them or had the responsibility for it. I do not know the state of play for that repository, or whether it is still valid or updated.
With regard to community memorials, they could be Legion owned or non-Legion owned, but regardless of whether they are or not, if there is a local Legion branch, they are able to financially support the maintenance of those memorials should they fall into a state of disrepair or need things done. It's very important that we do that, so whether or not there's ownership, the Legion stands ready to assist if required.
Perhaps I could just quickly go back to your original comment about how you draw younger people in. It's a challenge. I look at the innovative ways in which some branches have done this.
For example, the Legion branch from Fredericton turned one of their meeting rooms into a gaming centre. They filled it with Xboxes and large-screen TVs, and being a community close to CFB Gagetown, it drew in those individuals, so they were able to learn what the Legion can do for them. Whether they are Legion members or not doesn't really matter, as long as they know that the Legion is there when they do need the Legion.
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