Ottawa, August 13, 2010 — The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement regarding the Memorial to Victims of Communism, a joint community initiative led by Tribute to Liberty:
“I welcome the National Capital Commission’s allocation of a parcel of federal land in the Garden of the Provinces and Territories in Ottawa as the future location of the Memorial to Victims of Communism – Canada, a Land of Refuge.
“Canada is home to numerous communities affected by Communism in their homelands. The chosen site in our national capital is a fitting location for such an important memorial to the tens of millions of innocent victims of Communist regimes the world over.
“Canada has a longstanding and proud humanitarian tradition of welcoming refugees and displaced persons, including those escaping Communist oppression. We offered protection to nearly 40,000 Hungarians who fled the Soviet Union’s invasion of Hungary in 1956. And this year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Canada opening its doors in 1979 and 1980 to over 65,000 boat people fleeing Communist-controlled Vietnam.
“As Prime Minister Harper said last November at a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Memorial to Victims of Communism ‘shall stand as a reminder that all political systems are not the same, that our democracy and our freedoms are to be cherished, exercised and protected.’
“This past March, in the Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada announced its support for the establishment of a National Monument to the Victims of Communism. As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I am pleased that this project to serve as a Canadian memorial to the victims of Communism is one step closer to reality.”
For further information (media only), please contact:
Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Alykhan.Velshi@cic.gc.ca
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
