Nearly a decade after Canada exited the Afghanistan War, plans are now progressing to build an official national monument honouring the contributions and sacrifices Canadians made to the 13-year mission.
The federal government recently selected its monument design conceptualized by Adrian Stimson, who is an Alberta artist, a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, and a member of the Siksika First Nation.
Stimson served at CFB Esquimalt on Vancouver Island, and has been to Afghanistan.
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The chosen design draws on the elements of healing from the concept of the Medicine Wheel, with the circular plaza divided into four main pies symbolizing the “sacred space” of safety, a “home base” of reflection, memory, and contemplation.
The plaza is intended to be a sanctuary where the fallen area remembered, and the space is framed by corten steel walls to protect the space. The walls are inscribed with the names of fallen Canadians, fallen Afghan allies, and maple leafs.
The centre of the plaza features four bronze flak jackets draped on crosses as an additional symbol of protection.
Stimson worked with landscape architects MBTW Group and public art coordinators LeuWebb Projects.
The memorial will be built in Ottawa on the vacant site of LeBreton Flats — wedged between the Canadian War Museum, National Holocaust Monument, and the Ottawa River.
The federal government chose Stimson’s design out of a shortlist of five finalist designs proposed for the project during an open process. Over 10,000 Canadians shared their input on the shortlisted designs, with Stimson’s design favoured amongst respondents.
Over 40,000 Canadians in uniform and hundreds of civilians and government officials served in Afghanistan during Canada’s mission between late 2001 and March 15, 2014. Canada’s participation in the United Nations-approved and United States-led war began soon after the September 11 terrorist attacks, which initially carried the goal of eliminating Al Qaeda and ousting the Taliban regime that supported the terrorist group.
According to the federal government, Canada’s death toll in the Afghanistan War entailed 158 Canadian Armed Forces members, one diplomat, four aid workers, one government contractor, and one journalist. Thousands more Canadian Armed Forces members and civilians were also injured, both physically and psychologically.
Veterans Affairs Canada currently does not have a timeline for the project’s detailed design and construction.
The Afghanistan War officially ended on August 30, 2021, when the US pulled out their remaining forces in a chaotic retreat.
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