Veterans Affairs says Ottawa's planned memorial to Canada's Afghanistan mission will carry an Algonquin land acknowledgement as part of the federal government's efforts to support indigenous reconciliation.Blacklock's Reporter says an internal May 25 memo said text at the National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan will appear in English, French and Algonquin. The department did not indicate how many of the 2,229 Canadian casualties from the Afghanistan mission, including 158 killed in action, were Algonquin.“Texts are provided in English and French in accordance with official language obligations, and in Algonquin to recognize the indigenous peoples on whose traditional territory the Monument stands, supporting reconciliation,” said the memo.The document, National Monument To Canada’s Mission In Afghanistan Text Element Changes, was released through Access To Information.Veterans Affairs hired Ottawa-based Nations Translations Group LP under a $28,750 sole-sourced contract to translate the Algonquin text, according to federal records.“The Algonquin text was translated and reviewed by Nations Translations, an external contractor, to ensure consistency with the dialect used on the existing signage on the future site of the Monument,” said the memo.“Given the Monument’s national significance and diverse audience, text must be clear, accurate and accessible,” it added.The wording of the Algonquin inscription was censored in the released records.Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight's office did not respond to questions. The department cited no precedent for placing a land acknowledgement on a Canadian military memorial unrelated to indigenous issues..McKnight has previously described reconciliation with First Nations as an important federal priority.“Our government knows the path of reconciliation with First Nations is how Canada moves forward as a country,” McKnight told the House of Commons on May 26.The National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan is scheduled to open in 2028 near the Canadian War Museum and National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa.Cabinet separately added “Afghanistan” to the National War Memorial in 2014.The planned memorial is being built on territory claimed by Algonquin communities.The Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation of Maniwaki, Que., has filed an Ontario Superior Court claim seeking Aboriginal title over portions of Ottawa occupied by several major federal institutions and landmarks.“They are seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title to lands, or a portion of lands, in Ottawa that includes the Parliament Buildings, the Supreme Court of Canada, Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian War Museum and LeBreton Flats as well as Victoria, Chaudiere and Albert Islands” in the Ottawa River, said a January 21 Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations briefing note.“We respect Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg’s decision to pursue resolution of their claims through the Court,” said the note, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg’s Title Claims In Downtown Ottawa And Western Québec.
