Ottawa - The Peacekeeping Monument

Location:  City of Ottawa   N 45° 25.725 W 075° 41.799
In the intersection of Sussex Drive and St. Patrick Street.




"The peacekeeping monument is the only monument of its kind in the world. It is dedicated to Canadian peacekeepers.

This special monument honours both the living and the dead, and tells a story that Canadians have every right to be proud of. Since 1948, more than 110,000 Canadian peacekeepers have served in zones of conflict around the world. In 1988, UN peacekeepers were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As this monument shows, a big part of that honour belongs to Canada. Three peacekeepers — two men and a woman — stand on two sharp, knifelike edges of stone, cutting through the rubble and debris of war and converging at a high point, which symbolizes the resolution of conflict.

The members of the winning design team from British Columbia were Jack K. Harman, sculptor; Richard G. Henriquez, urban designer; and Cornelia H. Oberlander, landscape architect. The team also included Gabriel Design, lighting design, and J.L. Richards and Associates, engineering services, both of Ottawa. This project was sponsored by National Defence and the National Capital Commission. The dedication ceremony was held on October 8, 1992."

From www.canadascapital.gc.ca

There is also a wall in the monument that has each mission that Canadians have served in inscribed on it.
 
 

Marker text:
RECONCILIATION


"We need action not only
to end the fighting but to make peace...
My own government would be glad
to recommend Canadian participation
in such a United Nations force,
a truly international peace and police force."

Lester B. Pearson
November 2, 1956.
 


 RECONCILIATION

In 1988, the Nobel Peace Prize 
was awarded to the United Nations' peacekeepers. 
This monument, Reconciliation, is a tribute to 
Canada's commitment to world peace,
 and to all Canadian men and women 
who have served as peacekeepers.

Members of Canada's Armed Forces, 
represented by three figures, stand at 
the meeting place of two wall of destruction.
Vigilant, impartial, they oversee 
the reconciliation of those in conflict.
Behind them lies the debris of war. Ahead lies 
the promise peace: a grove, symbol of life.

Dedicated, October 8, 1993, by 
His Excellency, the Right Honourable 
Ramon John Hnatyshyn, 
Governor General of Canada 
and the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, 
Prime Minister of Canada.