The Canadian Press
OTTAWA—The federal Liberal government is sending a controversial memorial to victims of communism back to the drawing board, citing flaws in the location and design approved by the Harper Conservatives.
Heritage Minister Melanie Joly said the memorial still will go ahead, but will be located in the Garden of the Provinces and Territories rather than its previously-proposed location near the Supreme Court of Canada.
Joly noted the design also will be reconsidered in a consultation process that’s expected to begin early in the new year.
The memorial first was proposed in 2008, but became a political football in the recent election campaign when critics of both its design and location labelled it as a vote-getter for the Conservative party.
Joly, who consulted with 30 groups and individuals shortly after the Liberals won the Oct. 19 election, said the Canadian and international design experts who were consulted agreed the project needed to be reconsidered.
She added the project, originally tabbed at $5.5 million, should cost no more than $3 million, with the federal government paying for half of it.
Completion of the memorial is set for 2018.
