On Friday, the Canadian Hungarian Democratic Charter’s representatives met with Ludwik Klimkowski, the chair of the Tribute to Liberty group, at Ottawa’s Rideau Club, to discuss a monument planned for the heart of the Canadian capital. The memorial will commemorate the victims of communist dictatorships. Tribute to Liberty estimates that approximately 8 million Canadians have been impacted by dictatorial communist regimes, including the 37,000 fifty-sixers who fled Hungary to Canada after the suppression of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The planned monument, which will be situated on a 5,000 square meter plot of land next to the Supreme Court of Canada, will include a wall of remembrance with the names of 1,000 people, families and groups who fell victim to these regimes. Visitors will be able to use their smartphones to find out more information, read family narratives and peruse photos reflecting each of the names appearing on this wall.
Design for the Tribute to Liberty’s Victims of Communism monument, next to the Supreme Court of Canada. Source: Scan of the Tribute to Liberty brochure.
The Victims of Communism memorial will also be lit up at night in the national colours of the affected nations, on the occasion of their major holidays. For instance, when recalling Holodomor, the monument would be lit up in blue and yellow, while commemorations of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution would result in red, white and green lighting.
Some 20 architectural firms participated in the tender process for the memorial, with ABSTRAKT Studio Architecture (Team Kapusta) of Toronto having been chosen as the successful bidder. The Canadian government has been strongly supportive of the monument–the costs of which are estimated at being $5.5 million–with the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Shelly Glover, having the following to say about the project: “This new landmark in the National Capital will become a solemn place to reflect on the impact of communism and on the meaning of oppression and freedom.”
According to a piece in The Globe and Mail, this will become Ottawa’s second largest monument, after the National War Memorial. One of the memorial’s highest points will reach 12 meters and will effectively form a concrete bridge, which visitors may climb. From here, they will be able to view, from above, the other half of the monument.
The Victims of Communism memorial in ottawa, with planned night-time illumination. Source: Scan of the Tribute to Liberty brochure.
The monument in Ottawa will be significantly more imposing that the statue erected in Washington, D.C., in memory of the victims of communist regimes. While that memorial sits on a land that is only slightly more than 200 square meters and is comprised of a single statue, the Canadian monument will use prime, federal land that extends over 5,000 square meters and will include concrete structures lined with 100 million small squares, each symbolizing a victim.
Tribute to Liberty is presently inviting descendants of loved ones and the organizations of affected community groups to purchase a place on the Wall of Remembrance. The list of names will be capped at 1,000, although there are still currently spaces available on the commemorative wall.
Tribute to Liberty, Ottawa. Source: Scan of Tribute to Liberty’s brochure.
The property on which the monument will lie remains in federal ownership and Mr. Klimkowski explained why this locations is most appropriate.
“In communist countries, there is no rule of law. There is no justice. By resting it next to the Supreme Court of Canada, people who come to commemorate – and to appreciate what Canada has done – will get justice,” observed Mr. Klimkowski, who is also the vice president of the Canadian Polish Congress. Tribute to Liberty’s Board of Directors currently includes representatives of the Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Korean, Latvian, Polish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese communities. Mr. Klimkowski noted that Vietnamese Canadians have proven especially enthusiastic in supporting the project.
Design of the Victims of Communism Memorial in Ottawa. Source: Scan of the Victims of Communism brochure.
Ottawa’s National Capital Commission (NCC) approved the project in September 2009. Initially, it was to be entitled “Memorial to the Victims of Communism – Canada, a Land of Refuge.” Public Works and Government Services Canada decided to allocate the plot of land outside the Supreme Court to the project in May 2012. A year later, the Government of Canada announced that it would contribute $1.5 million to the monument, which was also mentioned in the Throne Speech of October 2013. Construction of the monument is likely to start in the coming months.
