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Domestic Stories: New monument a tribute to RCN's proud history
May 3, 2012
By Darlene Blakeley
Under grey skies with Parliament Hill providing the backdrop, Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled the Royal Canadian Navy Monument on Richmond Landing in Ottawa May 3. The monument pays homage to the hundreds of thousands of Canadian sailors who served Canada during the navy's first century of existence.
Photo : Jacek Szymanski DNPA
Elsa Lessard, left, takes great pleasure in christening the new Royal Canadian Navy Monument as Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Master Seaman Stephanie Comeau-Savoie look on.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, General Walter Natyncyzk, Chief of the Defence Staff, and Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).
“For more than 100 years, members of the Royal Canadian Navy have served our country with pride, bravely defending national waters and promoting freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law around the world,” said Prime Minister Harper. “The Royal Canadian Navy Monument is a tribute to our navy’s proud history and a reminder that members continue to put themselves in harm’s way every day for the good of our great country.”
Photo: Jacek Szymanski DNPA
Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence; Prime Minister Stephen Harper; General Walter Natyncyzk, Chief of the Defence Staff; and Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, stand in front of new Royal Canadian Navy Monument.
In true navy tradition, the monument was officially named by a member of the service during the dedication ceremony. Elsa Lessard, 89, who served in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service during the Second World War, christened the monument by breaking a bottle of nylon-wrapped champagne over its prow.
“While there are other memorials across the nation dedicated to those who lost their lives during various periods of conflict,” the Prime Minister said, “this monument demands that the navy’s full story be told and understood, and serves as a reminder to all Canadians that the navy is always there – over the horizon – today as in the past at the first sign of trouble to say ‘Ready Aye Ready’ in the service of our great country, as it says there on the west face of this striking design.”
VAdm Maddison likened the monument to a warship at sea: “This monument brings to mind the strength and flair of one of our warships under way with a bone in her teeth, at speed, crewed by ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary things in enabling and defending Canada’s national interests at sea.”
He added that the monument “tells the story of a ceaseless vigil that successive generations of Canadians have maintained these 100 plus years at sea and ashore, and from which we who serve today draw our inspiration to excel.”
Jointly sponsored by the National Capital Commission and the RCN to mark the navy’s centennial, the Royal Canadian Navy Monument was designed by artist Al McWilliams, and architects Joost Bakker and Bruce Haden, all from Vancouver. The monument, which is located in the heart of Canada’s Capital Region, will act as a lasting tribute to Canada’s navy – both past and present.
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