News Release
Persistence Pays Off for Councillor Seeking Recognition for Juno Beach
(HALIFAX, N.S., Friday, May 30/2003)-- Persistence has paid off for a regional municipal Councillor here who has been pressing the federal government to declare June 6th a national day of recognition to honor Canadian veterans who participated in the Juno Beach landings in France during World War 2.
Dartmouth Councillor Brian Warshick has been petitioning the Chretien government, directly, and through local Members of Parliament, for the past two years to have June 6th declared a special national holiday in time for the official commemoration of the Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer in Normandy, France, in early June.
The federal Minister of Veterans Affairs Rey Pagtakhan is expected to announce in the House of Commons on Monday that there will be a " Day of Commemoration" on June 6th to honour the Juno Beach veterans and the mark significance of this battle which changed history.
Councillor Warshick said "I am delighted that the Federal Minister is going ahead with this announcement. Monday will be a great day for me and a great day for Canada. It's been a sad commentary on Canadians when we know more about the Vietnam War than we do of Vimy Ridge. Our children learn more about Juneau, Alaska, than they do about Juno Beach. Hopefully, that will soon change."
During the past two years, Councillor Warshick has also been seeking support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM) for his campaign to have the D-Day landings at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, officially recognized and commemorated by all Canadians
Councillor Warshick has also been pressing the Government of Nova Scotia and the provincial Opposition parties to take similar action to recognize the heroic efforts of Canadian veterans at Juno Beach.
Once again, the Councillor's persistence paid off. New Democratic Party Leader Darrell Dexter introduced a resolution in the Nova Scotia Legislature last week urging a similar proclamation for a Juno Beach day of recognition.
Prime Minister Chretien will lead the Canadian delegation to France next month to officially open the Juno Beach Centre project, which was developed by a group of World War II veterans who participated in the D-Day landings on June 6,1944 and in the subsequent battles in Normandy and throughout Western Europe.
The Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer in Normandy will recognize Canada's military and civilian contributions during the World War ll. The Juno Beach landing site has been declared National Historic Site f Significance to Canada.
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Councillor Brian Warshick
(902) 434-5999
