The design, the location, even the mere existence of a national Memorial to Victims of Communism has Globe readers, print and digital, criticizing the government for providing land and $3-million for the project. Ugly? Not reflective of Canada's values? Or an important reminder of the importance of justice in a free society?
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The location of this special-interest monument is an affront to all Canadians (Critics Seeing Red Over Ottawa Monument – Jan. 31). It does not belong next to our national institutions: our Archives, Supreme Court, Parliament and War Memorial. If the sponsors of this memorial wish to make a statement about communism, why not locate it near the embassies of Russia or China?
The design of the memorial is reminiscent of a Soviet-era monolith. The citizens of Ottawa do not want or need this ugly, useless concrete structure.
Once it's built, let me be the first to stand on its parapet and proclaim, "Mr. Harper, tear down this wall!"
Larry Ladell, Ottawa
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Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin and other critics need to rethink the significance of the Memorial to Victims of Communism. Rather than detracting from the judicial precinct, the "bleakness and brutalism" communicated by the memorial lend resonance to the importance of institutions of justice in a democratic society.
The Supreme Court building is a nondescript structure plunked in as a kind of afterthought amid the more striking and prominent parliamentary buildings. The court is remote and distant from passersby. The memorial will draw our attention. It is a reminder that we live in a brutal world and that many Canadians have an ancestry or personal experience that connects them to this brutality. Rather than taking away from the notion of justice, I think the memorial forces us to reflect on the importance of justice in a free society. What will move people to thinking of a better world is the Supreme Court building itself in the background.
Linda Stilborne, Kanata, Ont.
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Stephen Harper appears to be suffering from "edifice" complex and channelling George Bush in creating the Orwellian-named Memorial to Victims of Communism – at taxpayers' expense.
Architect Shirley Blumberg, a member of the selection jury, is bang on with her observation that the so-called memorial "misrepresents and skews what this country is all about."
Gerri Thorsteinson, Winnipeg
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Those planning the edifice in memory of the victims of communism surely cannot lose sight of this irony: Were these victims current-day refugees seeking asylum in Canada, they would be victimized twice – once at the hands of the government they are fleeing, and a second time at the hands of the Harper government, which would refuse them health care and which thumbs its nose at the court which has ordered Ottawa to provide it.
Jim Thompson, Ottawa
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Based on the rendering provided, perhaps the name should be changed to the national Memorial to Victims of Origami. Surely blood has been shed in paper cuts suffered by beginners.
Bob McGorman, Ottawa
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It seems unfortunate that the federal government sees fit to donate a $1-million parcel of land and another $3-million in cash for a "Victims of Communism" memorial that seems to have little support, yet continues to drag its heels on a National Portrait Gallery that was supposed to occupy a prominent location across from Parliament Hill.
Instead of a new "disaster memorial," why not give us a "National Pride Memorial" and celebrate Canadians, past and present, famous and not so famous, who have made a lasting contribution to their country?
Library and Archives Canada has a significant collection of portraits that would form the basis of this National Portrait Gallery, including, I'm sure, an acceptable portrait of Arthur Meighen which could substitute for the ill-fated statue. The gallery would be a natural destination for the many visitors who come to our nation's capital every year and would give Canadians, old and new, an insight into the nature of the people who built this country. Is this not an excellent opportunity to celebrate the upcoming 150th anniversary of Confederation?
Trent Reid, Victoria
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Excuse me, but didn't Stephen Harper recently sign a huge trade agreement with communist China?
Bill Auchterlonie, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
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Jeffrey Simpson just couldn't resist slipping in a dig at the design and location of the Memorial to Victims of Communism at the end of his column about John Baird's resignation (Baird Hit Peak Politics – And Picked The Right Time To Leave – Feb. 4). He called it "an ugly design and dreadful location." I say Good!
Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin also lamented that it was "bleak." Again, I say Good! The Road of Bones to Magadan was bleak, and still is. North Korea is bleak. The Killing Fields of Cambodia were bleak. Stalin's purges were bleak. Bleak, bleak, bleak. All of it was bleak to the millions facing a certain death under communism. And the location, in front of the Supreme Court, is a long overdue reminder to all Canadians of that political theory from hell itself.
Andy Neimers, Sooke, B.C.
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In assessing John Baird's legacy, one can only wonder what role he played in the government's decision to give a private charity one of the most valuable and prominent parcels of publicly owned land left in the parliamentary precinct, in order to build a memorial to people who died under communism elsewhere in the world.
And who decided we should memorialize those victims, on such a scale and in such a nationally symbolic place, when we have yet to do anything to memorialize the millions of victims of colonialism in our own country, not the least of whom are the missing and murdered aboriginal women the Harper government continues to ignore.
The land in question is unceded Algonquin territory and the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the government's duty to consult: Before John Baird goes, could he tell us when that will happen?
Larry Chartrand, Martha Jackman, professors, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, University of Ottawa
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ON REFLECTION Letters to the editor
The court got it right
Re Canadians Have Right To Doctor-Assisted Suicide, Su-preme Court Rules (online, Feb. 6): After watching my father die of Alzheimer's, my greatest fear was suffering a similar fate. It is a great relief that I can (in the distant future, I hope) be in full control of the manner of my demise. We owe people like Dr. Colin Woolf, Gloria Taylor and Dr. Donald Low more than can be expressed for their courage and leadership on this issue.
The last hurdle now is for Stephen Harper to expeditiously pass suitable legislation, with all the appropriate safeguards.
Peter D. Hambly, Hanvover, Ont.
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Making census of CSIS
I think I have finally connected the dots. It wasn't easy.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn't cancel the long-form census because he didn't want the information we used to get from it. He is simply gathering the information by using CSIS.
Sharon Oddie Brown, Roberts Creek, B.C.
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What sex ed includes
Re We Want To Learn About Sex (Life & Arts, Feb. 6): A basic question about any sex ed curriculum is: how well does it deal with sexual health, rights, responsibilities and diversity? That certainly includes the issue of consent. It should also include pleasure, which is taboo in most curriculums. Ignoring it is like teaching about cars but never using the word "drive."
Those two 13-year-olds seem far wiser than those who want to keep sex a fearful prospect for teens. Let's stop dealing with the inevitability of developing sexuality solely by criticizing it.
Paul Rapoport, Ancaster Ont.
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Measles' comeback
Re One Of The World's Most Infectious Viruses Makes A Comeback (Folio, Feb. 5): Perhaps this is another incentive to keep children's vaccinations up to date: When I was 6, I had measles and chicken pox in the same winter. The next winter, it was scarlet fever and rubella.
I was home from school for weeks with each; my mother was pretty well house-bound looking after me. She was a stay-at-home mom, but today's parents would be scrambling to find child care for such long periods if their kids contracted one of these illnesses.
Susan Collins, London, Ont.