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Is there a meaningful difference between communism and totalitarian communism? Thanks to the contentious Memorial to the Victims of Communism, the question is more than academic.

When Tribute to Liberty, the charity formed to advocate and fundraise for the memorial, came to the National Capital Commission in 2009 seeking approval for the project, it proposed calling it a memorial to victims of communism.

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That didn’t sit well with members of the NCC board, one of whom said she was “unsettled” by the name. Another board member, Adel Ayad, pointed out that Canada has a legitimate domestic communist party. “It’s not communism itself that we should be fighting here,” he said. “It is rather totalitarianism we are against in any form.”

After protracted negotiations, the NCC and Tribute to Liberty agreed to call the monument “A Memorial to Victims of Totalitarian Communism – Canada, a Land of Refuge.” It was a mouthful, but seemed acceptable to all.