OTTAWA—New additions to the National War Memorial are stirring resentment among some veterans.

The monument was rededicated during Tuesday’s Remembrance Day service and the dates of the South African war and the Afghanistan mission were added.

But the additions were done over the objections of the Royal Canadian Legion, which opposes singling out individual conflicts, saying the memorial is meant to honour the sacrifices of all military personnel.

“The sacrifices and hardships that someone has endured during a training exercise . . . are just as valuable as the soldiers who died overseas,” legion spokesperson Bruce Poulin told the Star.

“To single out particular campaigns is a dangerous road.”

He said the move — announced by Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino — “isn’t fair” to soldiers who have served in other conflicts, like Bosnia or the Gulf War.

The monument was unveiled in 1939 to commemorate the military sacrifices of World War 1 and later rededicated to add the dates of Second World War and Korean conflict.

But following that, Poulin said the monument was meant to symbolize sacrifices at home and abroad.

“We believed that there was an understanding that the symbolic nature of the memorial had taken on new meaning and be more representative and inclusive,” Poulin said.

If the government wants to raise awareness about certain conflicts, the legion suggests that plaques could be installed around the perimeter wall around the memorial.

The two conflicts freshly honoured on Tuesday are a century apart, prompting Poulin to question how the government is deciding what gets added.

“Where are the criteria that are being used to select dates to be put on that memorial?” Poulin said.

He said the newly added inscription “In service to Canada” — also revealed Tuesday — should be sufficient “so every soldier can feel that this is part of their heritage.”

He said the legion had informal discussions with the government about the possible additions, adding “we let them know that we would not be pleased with that decision,” Poulin said.

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Veterans Affairs spokesperson Janice Summerby said the dates on the monument now reflect the five costliest conflicts fought by Canadians.

“Our government is the first to recognize peacekeeping and NATO veterans on the National War Memorial with the inscription, In Service to Canada,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

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