A national monument dedicated to the friendship between Canada and France was inaugurated on Sunday at the Canadian Forces National Military Cemetery, Beechwood, in Ottawa. A symbol of the historic and lasting ties between the two countries, the monument called Amicitia France-Canada is the first monument of its kind erected in the country.<\/p>\n
Launched in 2020, the initiative aims to recognize more than four centuries of common history and more than 90 years of official diplomatic relations between France and Canada. “Of course, we have monuments commemorating the First World War in Canada […] but there was no monument dedicated to the friendship between our two nations”, notes Christophe Raisonnier, the president of the Association of military medallists in Canada and initiator of the project.<\/p>\n
The associations behind the project wanted to represent this friendship on the monument with the symbols of the two countries: the Marianne for France and the maple leaf for Canada. At the top of the granite monument sits a torch which is carried at arm’s length and not just any arm, underlines Andr\u00e9 Levesque, the president of the Association Monument Amicitia France-Canada. The right side is the man’s arm representing the arm of the statue which is located at the base of the National Memorial of Canada at Vimy in France, and he is holding a torch.<\/p>\n
And the left arm represents the arm of Marianne whose statue is located on the Arc de Triomphe, he explains. Several Francophone and Francophile families made the trip for the event on Sunday, because if the event was intended to be festive, it was also educational. It is important to recognize the Franco-Canadian friendship and the sacrifice Canadians have made alongside the Americans to help France free itself. We do our little part. Over the years, we begin to forget so we take the young people.<\/p>\n
This is also what is important: to educate the younger generations so that they do not forget, notes Nathalie Bougoui, a mother present at the unveiling. This duty to remember has affected the new French ambassador to Canada, who has been in office for a few weeks. It’s time for a gathering. It’s very emotional, but you know, the heart is an unbreakable component of friendship.<\/p>\n
Frankly, I’m very happy about it. It is true that in France, there is not like in Canada this same cult of remembrance and it is a pity somewhere, said Michel Miraillet. Beyond the memory, the Amicitia monument also wants to be the symbol of a common future for the new generations. At a cost of $270,000, the project was largely funded by donors from the two Atlantic countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"