9 November 2009 Ottawa, Ontario
November 9, 2009, marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, an event that will be commemorated around the world. For Canada and its citizens, the fall of the Berlin Wall holds a special significance. It marked the culmination of forty years of foreign policy objectives pursued in partnership with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies. It also reminds us that Canada has welcomed tens of thousands of newcomers fleeing communist regimes.
It was during the ‘Open Skies' Conference in February 1990 in Ottawa that an agreement was reached between the foreign ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany, the then German Democratic Republic, France, the United Kingdom, the now-defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States to commence the historic ‘Two-Plus-Four' talks which led to the reunification of Germany.
In 1991, Germany gave Canada an original piece of the Berlin Wall. This piece, which measures approximately one metre wide and more than three metres high, is presently located at the Government Conference Centre in Ottawa. It will be moved to the Canadian War Museum for public viewing.
Two organizations – Tribute to Liberty and its partner the Open Book group – are proposing to erect a commemorative monument to honour the approximately 100 million lives lost under Communist regimes. The monument would recognize the experience of the many Canadians who emigrated to escape these repressive regimes and pay tribute to Canadian ideals of liberty, freedom, democracy and human rights. The monument is to be entitled Memorial to the Victims of Totalitarian Communism – Canada, a Land of Refuge.
According to the organizers, the design and construction of the monument is expected to begin in the fall of 2010 and an unveiling ceremony is scheduled for November 2011.
