A new effort is underway in Halifax to honour those who have lost their lives during Canada’s military involvement in Afghanistan.
The war in Afghanistan will be etched in stone on the war memorial in Grand Parade, the most recent inscription after Korea.
City councillor Waye Mason pushed the project in September 2014, and has a personal connection to the Canadian Forces.
“Three grandparents served in the Second World War,” he explains. “Dad was a naval officer, and it was time.”
Kelvin Mealing is the addition’s stone mason and says it will take about a week to finish the project.
“It’s an important job,” says Mealing. “With that in mind, I have to be very careful.”
But the new addition to the cenotaph is also raising some concerns.
NDP MP and veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer believes Canadians who have died in other military operations between Korea and Afghanistan, shouldn’t be forgotten.
“Although it’s wonderful,” says Stoffer. “To recognize those veterans and their families that served, what about those who served in Bosnia, the Gulf War?”
The project is now well on its way, with a goal of being completely finished by Remembrance Day.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kelly Linehan.
