Article content

A memorial to the victims of communism has provoked Canadians to heated debate, while a Holocaust memorial has garnered almost no discussion at all. Without public engagement — and yes, even heated debate — memorials don’t serve their purpose.

Criticisms of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism have centred on its location near the Supreme Court of Canada, its sombre and massive design, and allegations of the government’s pandering to Canada’s almost eight million constituents who originate in former communist countries. In contrast, almost nothing has been said about the National Holocaust Memorial, a project of similar scope, size, government funding and geographic prominence, whose construction in the National Capital Region is also set to coincide with the federal election later this year.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Nadine Blumer: Memorials are built of public discussion as much as stone Back to video

Why does this imbalanced reaction matter?

Monuments help us remember and acknowledge historical events. They also seek to communicate a particular set of shared values. In the case of both projects, the Canadian nation is being extolled alongside a specific version of Canadian heritage and identity. While communism and the Holocaust are shorthand for “evil” that happened “over there”, Canada, by contrast, is framed as an idealized site of freedom, refuge and diversity. The full name of the communism memorial is, in fact, “Memorial to the Victims of Communism: Canada, A Land of Refuge.” Similarly, the Holocaust memorial will celebrate those “roughly 40,000 Holocaust survivors (who) came to Canada from war-torn Europe.” The Holocaust memorial is designed to lead visitors from a ground-level display about Nazi horrors up a set of stairs that opens up to a dramatic view of the Parliament’s Peace Tower. The redemptive narrative could not be clearer: from Nazi fascism in Europe to salvation in Canada.