In 2007, as part of the international current of commemorating those who suffered under Communist regimes, various community leaders, government officials and foreign diplomats in Canada suggested building a monument in the nation- al capital region to recognize these victims, and the contribution Canada made in coming to their aid.
Why is Tribute to Liberty doing what it is doing? Why is a memorial to victims of Communism import- ant, and why should there be such a memorial in Canada?
In Canada, over eight-million people trace their roots to countries that suffered or still suffer under Communism. Since the beginning of the first Communist regime in 1917 Russia, immigrants from Communist countries have flocked to Canada in search of freedom and safety.
Refugees from Communist countries and their descendants live all over Canada—the Czechs in Alberta, Romanians in Montreal, and Mennonites in Manitoba, Ukrainians across the prairies. Suffering of the victims cuts across cultural lines; Cambodians under PolPot, Chinese under Mao, or Ukrainians under Stalin share the common experience of being a victim of Communism.
History commentators tend to separate different Communist regimes from each other as if such linking did not exist. Likewise, there is a failure to group together all that suffering under one umbrella: Communism’s victims. Commemorations have followed suit.
For example, in Ottawa there is a memorial commemorating the wave of Hungarian immigrants to Canada following the 1956 uprising against Communism in Hungary; a memorial commemorating the escape to Canada of the Vietnamese boat people in the late 1970’s; a Canadian memorial commemorating Katyn—mass slaughter of Polish officers by the Communists in 1940; and several for the victims of the Holodomor, the Communist-forced famine in Ukraine in 1932-33.
The word “Communism” does not appear on the plaques of these memorials; however, all commemorate Communist crimes. The Canadian memorial to victims of Communism will show the crimes of Communism. This will ensure they are not relegated to isolated incidents but will be remembered as the systemic evil machine of Communism; a worldwide, nearly century old scourge against humanity and freedom.
The 20th century was deeply marked by Communism. The greater part of the century (more than 80 years) saw Communism oppressing the lives of about one-third of humanity on four continents. It is yet to be seen how Communism will fare in the 21st century, though it is certain that acknowledging the truth about the suffering caused by Communist regimes is something a democratic, freedom-loving nation like Canada should embrace to pre- vent a repeat of such horrors.
In the fall 2008, the Tribute to Liberty organization was created to provide leadership in realizing the construction of a memorial. Its Board proposed that the memorial be built on federal land in the nation’s capital. After nearly a year of negotiations, the National Capital Commission agreed to build the memorial in Ottawa on federal land. The name of the memorial, A Memorial to Victims of Totalitarian Communism—Canada, a Land of Refuge, both commemorates the victims and speaks of Canada as a country welcoming refugees from Communist oppression.
Site of the proposed Monument… Garden of the Provinces and Territories in Ottawa
In the March 2010 Speech from the Throne, the Governor General of Canada read that the Government “Supports the establishment of a National Monument to the Victims of Communism” and in August the NCC allocated a parcel of land in the Gar- den of the Provinces and Territories in downtown Ottawa for the memorial.
The next step is a design competition to be initiated once significant funds have been raised to cover costs. Tribute to Liberty has an online fundraising campaign, Pathway to Liberty, a virtual buy a brick campaign. It allows donors to tell a story of a victim of Communism, include a message, and be recognized with each $100 brick donated.
To find out more about Tribute to Liberty visit www. tributetoliberty.ca
Carolyn Foster, Tribute to Liberty Newsletter editor
