Most Canadians oppose communism victims memorial after being shown design: poll
National Post | Canadian News, Financial News and Opinion
A large majority of Canadians — even among Conservative supporters — think the Conservative government’s planned memorial to the victims of communism is a poor idea, a poll has found.
Across the country, just 23 per cent of Canadians said they would support the Memorial to Victims of Communism “in its current form after they were shown design plans for the monument, to be erected near the Supreme Court in Ottawa,” the EKOS polling firm reported in a poll commissioned by the website iPolitics.
Some 27 per cent said they somewhat opposed the memorial and 51 per cent said they strongly opposed it. In the National Capital Region, that opposition rises to 83 per cent of people polled — 63 per cent who strongly oppose it and 19 per cent who somewhat oppose it. Just four per cent of those polled — both Canada-wide and in the capital region — said they strongly support the memorial.
Voters who identified themselves as Conservatives were slightly more supportive of the memorial than voters who identified with other parties. But, still, the majority of Conservative voters polled by EKOS — 63 per cent — said they opposed it.
The poll also found that the majority of Canadians knew little or nothing about the monument. But when they were shown design plans and given details, they didn’t like what they saw. The majority of capital region residents were aware of the memorial, which has been dogged by controversy.
When asked to rank a list of new facilities “to showcase Canada’s National Capital Region,” respondents ranked a memorial to the victims of communism last out of five possibilities. A national Holocaust monument, which the federal government is also building, came in second last. A national library “on a grand scale” and a memorial for historical injustices against Aboriginal peoples were the top two picks of respondents.
Defence Minister Jason Kenney recently said the monument, which will get $3 million in taxpayer support, is “strongly supported by Canadian ethno-cultural communities representing some eight million Canadians” and deserves a high-profile location.
Its planned location on a 5,000 square metre site on Wellington Street southwest of the Supreme Court is a major point of contention with numerous groups that oppose it.
Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Tobi Nussbaum said he plans to introduce a motion at Ottawa Council to formally request the federal government move the memorial.
Its planned location is on land that has long been reserved for a new judicial building. Mayor Jim Watson has been vocal in his opposition to locating the victims of communism memorial on what is supposed to be part of a so-called judicial triad. The mayor has said he is unaware of any public consultation on what amounts to a significant change to the long-term vision for the capital, something the city supports.
The National Capital Commission’s advisory committee on planning and design has had concerns about both the location and design of the memorial. Other groups, including the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and the Ontario Association of Architects, have also expressed concern that the proposed location for the memorial will violate the guiding principles of the government’s plan.
In March, Canadian Heritage said the groundbreaking for the $5.5-million memorial would take place this summer. The National Capital Commission has since said that its board of directors would likely not approve the design until as late as September. Construction could not begin before then, although preliminary site work could go ahead.
Most Canadians oppose communism victims memorial after being shown design: poll
National Post | Canadian News, Financial News and Opinion
A large majority of Canadians — even among Conservative supporters — think the Conservative government’s planned memorial to the victims of communism is a poor idea, a poll has found.
Across the country, just 23 per cent of Canadians said they would support the Memorial to Victims of Communism “in its current form after they were shown design plans for the monument, to be erected near the Supreme Court in Ottawa,” the EKOS polling firm reported in a poll commissioned by the website iPolitics.
Some 27 per cent said they somewhat opposed the memorial and 51 per cent said they strongly opposed it. In the National Capital Region, that opposition rises to 83 per cent of people polled — 63 per cent who strongly oppose it and 19 per cent who somewhat oppose it. Just four per cent of those polled — both Canada-wide and in the capital region — said they strongly support the memorial.
Voters who identified themselves as Conservatives were slightly more supportive of the memorial than voters who identified with other parties. But, still, the majority of Conservative voters polled by EKOS — 63 per cent — said they opposed it.
The poll also found that the majority of Canadians knew little or nothing about the monument. But when they were shown design plans and given details, they didn’t like what they saw. The majority of capital region residents were aware of the memorial, which has been dogged by controversy.
When asked to rank a list of new facilities “to showcase Canada’s National Capital Region,” respondents ranked a memorial to the victims of communism last out of five possibilities. A national Holocaust monument, which the federal government is also building, came in second last. A national library “on a grand scale” and a memorial for historical injustices against Aboriginal peoples were the top two picks of respondents.
Defence Minister Jason Kenney recently said the monument, which will get $3 million in taxpayer support, is “strongly supported by Canadian ethno-cultural communities representing some eight million Canadians” and deserves a high-profile location.
Its planned location on a 5,000 square metre site on Wellington Street southwest of the Supreme Court is a major point of contention with numerous groups that oppose it.
Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Tobi Nussbaum said he plans to introduce a motion at Ottawa Council to formally request the federal government move the memorial.
Its planned location is on land that has long been reserved for a new judicial building. Mayor Jim Watson has been vocal in his opposition to locating the victims of communism memorial on what is supposed to be part of a so-called judicial triad. The mayor has said he is unaware of any public consultation on what amounts to a significant change to the long-term vision for the capital, something the city supports.
The National Capital Commission’s advisory committee on planning and design has had concerns about both the location and design of the memorial. Other groups, including the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and the Ontario Association of Architects, have also expressed concern that the proposed location for the memorial will violate the guiding principles of the government’s plan.
In March, Canadian Heritage said the groundbreaking for the $5.5-million memorial would take place this summer. The National Capital Commission has since said that its board of directors would likely not approve the design until as late as September. Construction could not begin before then, although preliminary site work could go ahead.
Most Canadians oppose communism victims memorial after being shown design: poll
