Canadian Communities Unite to Remember Victims of Crimes of Communism

TORONTO - On September 26, 2008, representatives from Canada’s ethno-cultural communities created a non-profit organization, Tribute to Liberty, to establish a memorial in Ottawa to the Victims of the Crimes of Communism.

“Because of this project, Canadians will have an opportunity to learn about the crimes of Communism and how they have affected the lives of so many Canadians. Public awareness is very low in terms of the huge number of Canadians who have suffered under Communism in the countries they emigrated from, and this memorial will change that,” says Philip Leong, Tribute to Liberty Board Chair.

“Ambassadors and their delegates from 14 countries have written to the Prime Minister calling for the creation of a memorial,” says Leong. “We hope to build on that broad international endorsement with comparable support from Canadians [from] coast to coast to coast.”

Proponents of the project are engaging with representatives from a range of communities in Canada including Afghan, Armenian, Chinese, Cuban, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mennonite, Polish, Russian, Slovakian, Tibetan, Ukrainian and Vietnamese, among others.

The members of the Tribute to Liberty Board of Directors are Philip Leong, Chair; Alide Forstmanis, Treasurer; Reet Marten-Sehr, Secretary; Alexandra Chyczij; and Wladyslaw Lizon.