Continuing on where we left off yesterday, this is a photograph and panel of the Peacekeeping Monument, which lies in the downtown, across from the National Gallery and Notre Dame.
The government under John Diefenbaker, seen here among other Commonwealth leaders with the Queen, opposed South Africa's continued presence in the Commonwealth because of the apartheid policy. This carried on through the Mulroney government of the 1980s and early 1990s, which stood strongly for sanctions (even if it wasn't the way being advocated by Reagan and Thatcher) against South Africa, until apartheid was finally abandoned.
Nelson Mandela never forgot Canada's opposition to apartheid, and he was made an honourary citizen of the country in a ceremony held in the Museum's Grand Hall.
This is the robe of a prosecutor in the war crimes tribunals that followed the Yugoslavian wars. Canadian judge Louise Arbour was the chief prosecutor against war crimes in the Hague.
Thank you Canada!
ReplyDeleteA tormented part of history.
ReplyDeleteVery difficult times. And now South Africa is in a terrible mess, I have a Blogfriend there.
ReplyDeleteEstou a gostar de acompanhar esta exposição.
ReplyDeleteUm abraço e boa semana.
Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
O prazer dos livros
Hard times, thanks to those who stood up!
ReplyDeleteIngo once met a real Mountie when they had to get off a plane!
And there is also a The Simpsons-episode with a Mountie involved (he spoke French) :-)
...we need more Peacekeeping Monuments!
ReplyDelete@Maywyn: indeed.
ReplyDelete@Italiafinlandia: Yugoslavia especially.
@Gattina: it is sad to see South Africa falter.
@Francisco: thank you.
@Iris: since the Mounties handle areas that are federal property, I see a lot of them here, but they are in their working uniform as opposed to the red serge.
@Tom: I agree.
You know, of my several Canadian bloggers, nobody has posted photos of Mounties going about their usual activities. I wonder if their presence is kind of invisible to the Canadians...
ReplyDeleteGood stuff!
ReplyDeleteAre you having problems with comments that are on pop-up boxes? I can't get them to open. Even my own. Blogger is driving me crazy!
The comments are working now! Crazy.
ReplyDeleteWe need Pearson back to come up with a plan for ending the extreme divisions we have now.
ReplyDeleteLove the Mounties ~ saw a movie as a child with the Mountie as the star ~ loved it but forget the name ~ Great post ~ Happy Week to you ~
ReplyDeleteLiving in the moment,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
I got lost one time in Montreal and a Mountie helped me find my way back to where I was staying. He was a nice guy.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting.
ReplyDeleteThose were hard times for so many people.
ReplyDeleteNelson Mandela fue un gran hombre, y así será recordado por la humanidad.
ReplyDeleteThe Netherlands had very special relations with Nelson Mandela too. What a great man he was.
ReplyDeleteA fairly comprehensive view of Canada and apartheid.
ReplyDelete@Barbara: I see a lot of them, but they usually wear work utility uniforms as opposed to the red serge everyone thinks of.
ReplyDelete@RedPat: one of the things I am noticing is that some legitimate blog comments are ending up in spam folders.
@Red: he was great for that.
@Carol: there have been a few.
@Bill: Mounties will do that.
@Aritha: I thought so.
ReplyDelete@Marleen: that they were.
@Ventana: thank you.
@Jan: he was extraordinary.
@Joanne: thank you.
Really interesting William.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWhile I absolutely applauded Canada's stance on South Africa, I thought we were more than a little sanctimonious. While we were advocating the dismantling of apartheid there, indigenous people here were confined to reservations, often without clean drinking water (to this day), had their children removed and sent to residential schools, treaty obligations were routinely ignored, their lands were mined without their consent.........and on and on. I guess it was do as I say, not do as I do.
ReplyDeleteThat is true.
DeleteOoh, Mandela!
ReplyDeleteHe was a great man.
DeleteI love Canada. It's one country that seems (at least to me!) to have its act together.
ReplyDeleteMostly.
DeleteWe need more peace in the world.
ReplyDeleteWe do.
Delete