We want to hear from you, your colleagues and your family members.

As you may be aware, the creation of a National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan is currently underway. The Monument will recognize the commitment and sacrifice of Canadians who served in Afghanistan, as well as the support provided to them at home. The Monument will be located in Ottawa, Ontario near the Canadian War Museum.

The mission in Afghanistan came at a cost. You know this well. You commemorate, you share stories and you keep the memory of our fallen alive. Many Canadians died as a result of their service in Afghanistan, including Canadian Armed Forces members, a diplomat, foreign aid workers, a government contractor and a journalist. Thousands of Canadian Armed Forces members were also injured—physically and psychologically—during the mission.

This mission likely affected you, your colleagues and your family members. Your life may have been significantly affected. The Monument should be a place that represents our commitment to always remember. It should be a place to pay tribute to all those who served, commemorate our fallen, and honour the sacrifices of members and their families. It should be a place that will educate the public. It should be a place that you could visit. This is why we are seeking your input.

Veterans Affairs Canada is consulting on the Monument design guidelines via PubliVate Inc., an independent company that will host the online consultation on our behalf. The consultation can be accessed here until January 20.

Your input will help inform the Monument design guidelines, which will ultimately guide design teams in developing their concepts. As we progress in the planning and construction of this Monument you will be consulted again, namely on the finalist teams’ design concepts, prior to the selection and announcement of the winning Monument design.

We recognize this may be a challenging time for many of you. It is a time we experienced some of our great losses. As we embark on a new year, it is also a time to surround ourselves with our family and friends and to reflect.

Please take the time to have your say. Together we can continue to recognize Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan.

More information on the Monument:

On 8 May 2014, the Government of Canada announced that a monument would be built to commemorate Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan. The Monument is being created through a partnership amongst Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), Canadian Heritage (PCH) and the National Capital Commission (NCC).

For more information, click here.