News Release

Minister of Veterans Affairs to participate in overseas commemorative events

Ottawa – Beginning June 6, 2003, the Honourable Dr. Rey D. Pagtakhan, Minister of Veterans Affairs, will participate in the official opening of the Juno Beach Centre and a number of overseas ceremonies commemorating D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.

For the official opening of the Juno Beach Centre, Minister Pagtakhan will join Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, other Canadian and French dignitaries, and as many as 1,000 Canadian Veterans of the Second World War in Normandy, France. The Juno Beach Centre is an interactive educational facility and museum, designed to inspire and inform, provide a forum for visitors to learn about Canada and Canadians, and preserve the memory of the contribution of Canada's Veterans to the Second World War.

The development and official opening of the Juno Beach Centre have been spearheaded by the Juno Beach Centre Association, a group of Second World War Veterans who participated in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, and the subsequent battles in Normandy and throughout Western Europe. To date, through Veterans Affairs Canada, the Government of Canada has provided over $3 million to the Centre and will provide ongoing funding in the amount of $200,000 per year to support the Centre's interpretive program and operations.

While in France, Minister Pagtakhan will also participate in ceremonies at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, the Caen Memorial Garden, Place d'Ancienne Boucherie, and Abbaye d'Ardenne on June 6 and 7. These ceremonies are in remembrance of Canadians who served in D-Day landings and in the Battle of Normandy.

For more information on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy visit www.vac-acc.gc.ca, and for more information on the Juno Beach Centre, visit www.junobeach.org.

All Other Enquiries:
information@vac-acc.gc.ca