A federal response dated September 21 has put the spotlight back on the May 4 groundbreaking ceremony in Ottawa for the National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan. According to a post from @shottawa.tv, the document shows that no Afghanistan veteran was given a formal speaking role.
What the response discloses
The ceremony ran roughly 40 minutes and reportedly cost $50,376. About 170 people attended, and 12 of them were Afghanistan veterans.
Veterans Affairs pointed to time limitations as the reason veterans did not speak. Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight did address the crowd, and four federal cabinet ministers were listed on the program.
The post frames the detail as a question of how the event was organized, and asks whether a veteran of the mission should have been invited to speak.
The mission the monument honours
More than 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan, and 158 Canadian Armed Forces members lost their lives during the mission. For many of the veterans and families connected to that service, a ceremony marking the start of construction on a national monument is a significant moment, which is why the speaking list has drawn attention.
What is being built at LeBreton Flats
The monument is going up at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa, with completion expected in late 2028. That leaves more than two years of construction, and likely more public events, before it is finished.
The federal response does not appear to say whether veterans will have a formal role at future milestones for the site. Nothing in the post indicates a change to the program, and ottown has not independently confirmed the figures in the response beyond what the post reports.
Your turn
Should an Afghanistan veteran have been among the speakers on May 4? If you attended the ceremony or served in the mission and want to share your view, we would like to hear it.
Source: Instagram post by @shottawa.tv, citing a federal response dated September 21.
