The Mother Canada monument, officially the Never Forgotten National Memorial, was a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

planned to be built in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Cape Breton Island,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. A memorial to Canadian Armed Forces overseas casualties, especially those of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it was intended as a transatlantic complement to the

Canadian National Vimy Memorial The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is a war memorial site in France dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for Canadian soldiers of the Fir ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. After considerable controversy surrounding its location, the project was cancelled in 2016.

Overview

The $25 million project was to include a 24-metre statue of a bereft mother, her hands outstretched towards

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and the Canada Bereft monument at the Vimy Memorial. The monument site would have included an

interpretive centre An interpretation centre, interpretive centre, or visitor interpretive centre is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage. Interpretation centres are a kind of new-style museum, often associated with visitor ...

, a restaurant, and a

souvenir shop A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collec ...

, among other amenities. It was to be funded through donations collected by the Never Forgotten National Memorial Foundation, headed by

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

businessman Tony Patrick Trigiani. The project had been conceived by Trigiani after he visited a Canadian World War I cemetery in Europe.

Controversy

Opinions on the monument were divided. Supporting petitions from New Waterford,

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 192 ...

Glace Bay Glace Bay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Glasbaidh'') is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton. Formerly an incorporated ...

, Iona, Sydney, Ingonish, and

Hants County Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...

, as well as Grand Prairie, Alberta and

Central Ontario Central Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario that lies between Georgian Bay and the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The population of the region was 1,123,307 in 2016; however, this number does not in ...

, were presented to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

by MP

Mark Eyking Mark Eyking (born August 30, 1960) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Sydney—Victoria from 2000 to 2019 as a member of the Liberal Party. Early life and education Eyking was born in Sydney, Nova ...

on January 28, 2016. Significant controversy focused on the monument's location, Green Cove, a pink granite formation along the Cabot Trail. Cape Breton locals protested the planned location, arguing constructing the memorial at Green Cove would destroy the natural landscape and hinder public access to the sea along the trail. They also argued that the decision to build a war memorial at Green Cove did not make sense, as the area lacks military significance. ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' criticized the monument, calling it "hubristic, ugly and just plain wrong". Major-General Lewis MacKenzie defended the proposed location, arguing that the Cape Breton Highlands was one of the last sightings of Canada soldiers saw as they left for deployment, justifying the monument's location along the coast of Cape Breton. Lt. Col. Ferguson Mobbs of the Bradford Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Ontario also defended the monument, commenting that its location at the Green Cove was "what was the easternmost point of Canada in 1914, before Newfoundland joined confederation, in a direct line with Vimy Ridge". The project was approved by the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

, which donated $100,000 to the memorial foundation. Following the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

victory in the 2015 election, the monument was placed under review by Parks Canada and eventually canceled in February 2016.

References

External links

Never Forgotten National Memorial Foundation
{{coord, 46.750612, -60.323846, type:landmark_region:CA-NS, display=title Canadian military memorials and cemeteries Political controversies in Canada Monuments and memorials in Nova Scotia Proposed monuments and memorials Unbuilt buildings and structures in Canada