e-4984

Petition to the Government of Canada

• June 4 and 6, 2024, respectively mark the 80th anniversaries of both the liberation of Rome, emblematic of Canada's contribution to end Italy's occupation, and the historic D-Day invasion of France;
• The Last Post Fund National Field of Honour (LPFNFoH) in Pointe-Claire, QC, a National Historic Site (2007), is Canada's largest cemetery for military Canadian/Allied veterans and immediate family;
• The Last Post Fund (LPH) responsible for the LPFNFoH faces unsustainable financial/operational challenges long known to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC);
• The LPF since 2020 has proposed, as have veterans' families, that VAC assume responsibility for the LPFNFoH as is the case for veterans' cemeteries in Halifax/Esquimault;
• Despite VAC funded studies (title, environmental assessment) apparently completed yet conclusions unknown, VAC's position remains unclear and non-committal;
• Veterans' graves in Canada should be maintained to high standards comparable to those abroad as overseen by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission with funding by Canada; and
• A timely intervention by the government as envisaged by the LPF would honour both the memory and sacrifice of veterans who defended our freedom especially given the historic WWII 80th anniversary commemorations.