Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,
The Canadian Historical Association calls on the federal government to use its influence to convince the French authorities to stop the building of luxury seaside condominiums at Juno Beach, Canada’s D-Day landing site in Normandy during World War II, or at the very least adjust those plans to mitigate the project’s impact on a site that is sacred to many Canadians.
The proposed condominium development, undertaken without consultation, and despite substantial local opposition, will interfere with the important interpretative work of the Juno Beach Centre and threatens to alter the site forever. Thousands of Canadians have visited in recent years, experiencing first-hand the ways the site nurtures quiet contemplation and remembering. I brought my own son there before the pandemic, it was an important moment.
The Juno Beach Centre does essential educational work, employing young Canadians each summer to that end. With the World War II generation fast leaving us, sites like Juno Beach are more important than ever.
While we recognize that the historical battlefields of Europe cannot be forever frozen in time, as they are living places, we believe the proposed luxury project is ill-advised and the way it is being pushed to completion is disrespectful to the memory of those who sacrificed all. Recent events in Ukraine and elsewhere, remind us of the need to recognize courage and sacrifice when we see it.
Yours Sincerely,
Steven High, President, Canadian Historical Association