Parliamentarians Condemn Vandalism of Canadian National Vimy Memorial

A man walks past the Canadian National Vimy Memorial following a ceremony at Vimy Ridge, France, on Nov. 10, 2018. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Conservative MPs are condemning vandalism that occurred at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France on Aug. 15, following a statement released the day after by Minister of Veterans Affairs Ginette Petitpas Taylor.

“We are shocked and disturbed to learn that Canada’s Vimy Ridge Memorial in France has been vandalized,” said Blake Richards, Conservative shadow minister for veterans affairs, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Quebec political lieutenant, in an Aug. 17 statement.

“This abhorrent act is an affront to the thousands of Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice at Vimy Ridge in the service of Canada.”

News of graffiti appearing on the memorial was first reported by French local news on Aug. 15, according to Canadian media.

Ms. Petitpas Taylor responded the next day with a statement. She said she was “appalled” to learn about the “reprehensible” act at the 100-hectare memorial site, which honours the 60,000 Canadians who gave their lives in Europe during World War I.

“The Memorial bears the names of those who died in France with no known grave and stands as a tribute to all Canadians who served during the First World War. It should inspire us to work toward lasting peace, for which those commemorated here gave their lives,” the minister said.

“I strongly condemn this and all reprehensible acts of vandalism against cenotaphs, war memorials and other landmarks built to remember and honour the sacrifices made by Canadians in the name of peace.”

‘Deeply Disheartened’

Ms. Petitpas Taylor, who also served as associate minister of national defence, said the federal government is working with French authorities to find the person responsible.

“Canadian officials have been in contact with French officials to share all the information at their disposal to aid in their investigation,” she said.

“VAC [Veterans Affairs Canada] officials are currently working with colleagues at Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to ensure that the graffiti is removed as soon as possible.”

The Vimy Foundation echoed the minister’s sentiment on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, saying it was “deeply disheartened” to learn about the vandalism.

“Such actions disrespect the memory of the 11,285 Canadians missing in France with no known grave, whose names are listed on the monument,” the foundation said on Aug. 16.

A spokesperson from Ms. Petitpas Taylor’s office had told media outlets that an employee at the site noticed a person vandalizing a wall at the memorial around 9 p.m. local time on Aug. 15. The individual ran away upon being spotted.

In an email statement to The Epoch Times on Aug. 17, VAC spokesperson Marc Lescoutre confirmed that the memorial had been vandalized with graffiti and that “the graffiti has since been removed.”

During the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, which took place toward the end of World War I, the four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together to capture the objective, losing 3,598 men in the process, with another 7,000 wounded. In 1936, the monument honouring the memory of the men was erected at the site of the battlefield in France.

Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.