The National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:03]Canada's mission in Afghanistan was our country's largest military deployment overseas since the Second World War.

[00:00:12]From 2001 to 2014, more than 40,000 Canadians in uniform served alongside diplomats, humanitarian aid workers, and other civilians.

[00:00:26]It was one of the most difficult and important international missions in our history.

[00:00:32]Canadians faced fierce battles and ambushes, trained Afghan security forces, and helped rebuild the country.

[00:00:40]These actions shaped both the mission and those who served. During the nearly 13-year mission in Afghanistan, 158 Canadian Armed Forces members and seven civilians lost their lives. More than 2,000 others were wounded. The National Monument to Canada's mission in Afghanistan will honor their service, their sacrifices, the values of peace and freedom they carried, and the support they received from here at home.

[00:01:10]Understanding the inspiration behind this monument begins with understanding the experiences of its designer.

[00:01:16]Indigenous artist Adrien Stimson of the Sika Blackfoot Nation spent time in Afghanistan in 2010 as part of the Canadian Forces Artists Program. His experiences while embedded with troops in Kandahar and Masumgar shaped his vision for the monument.

[00:01:34]For me, I sort of thought about, you know, this notion of healing.

[00:01:39]In any conflict, we all have to heal from it. And this one in particular.

[00:01:45]So right away the medicine wheel came to me and the tenants of the medicine wheel and the purpose of the medicine wheel and how that is to help the individual move through their own emotions and all parts all aspects of their being to come to some sort of a resolution, some sort of a a sense of peace.

[00:02:07]And then within the medicine wheel, often they relate to the four directions, north, east, south, and west. And within indigenous cultures and certainly the Blackfoot, each one of those directions has a meaning and a purpose and also a cycle.

[00:02:24]The circular shape of the monument creates a sacred space of safety, a place for reflection, memory, and contemplation.

[00:02:32]Openings in the design form four points of entry. Each entrance provides an opportunity to honor, reflect, and seek balance and healing. The four portals are oriented in the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west. Each one represents a different aspect of war and ties to teachings of the medicine wheel.

[00:02:53]Adrien explains, "North is often associated with birth, the intellectual or the mind.

[00:03:03]We thought that was really important for that portal to speak to the ideas of why do we go to war? Sort of look at it through the critical lens. Look at war, look at conflict, uh look at Afghanistan and uh think about it in those ways because I think there we have to acknowledge that there are many perspectives and it's important to address all those perspectives.

[00:03:27]>> The north portal focuses on education.

[00:03:29]It helps visitors understand Canada's role in the mission, the commitment of those who serve to help stabilize Afghanistan and protect its people, and Canada's dedication to international security and humanitarian values.

[00:03:44]The east, the emotional, we really want to speak to the soldiers and their emotional being. The east is often looked at childhood where all the learnings come from. That's where the sun rises.

[00:04:01]>> As Adrian explains, the East Portal focuses on emotions. It shows how much support from home meant to those who served and how their service affected their families, friends, and communities.

[00:04:14]And then this south, the spiritual, uh, is really acknowledging our spiritual natures. And we also come from a pluralistic society with many different religions and some no religion at all.

[00:04:26]So how do we address that in a sort of a a non sort of religious way? So spirituality the southern portal offers a moment to reflect through an algangquin reading.

[00:04:38]It encourages visitors to think about the importance of remembrance and recognition. Listen as Adrien completes the picture.

[00:04:47]And then the west, the physical was really important to us because that really opened up a space to acknowledge the veterans, acknowledge those uh who were wounded in that conflict and who are dealing with those injuries today.

[00:05:00]So that the physical was really meant to honor those who survive too.

[00:05:07]Together, the readings, images, and quotes at each entrance encourage visitors to think about how Canada's mission in Afghanistan affected those who served, their families, their communities, and our country.

[00:05:21]Entering the monument's inner circle, the curved walls create a place of refuge. Three of them display the names of Canadians who lost their lives, along with a statement honoring those who died as a result of the mental and emotional impact of the mission.

[00:05:37]I felt that it was so important the importance in the name and I think the 158 soldiers and civilians who died in that conflict acting on behalf of Canada need to be remembered and I often think about it uh for the families in particular uh when they go uh to these sites for them to see their loved ones name I think is something that was really very important.

[00:06:01]The last wall is dedicated to the people of Afghanistan. It features images inspired by a Persian poem that describes birds searching for courage and meaning and realizing that what they seek rests within themselves.

[00:06:14]Four flak jackets stand at the center of the monument. Flack jackets are a form of body armor worn by soldiers to shield their chests and torsos.

[00:06:25]When I was in Afghanistan, one of the things that was really poignant for me were the flack jackets and how the soldiers after uh going on authority would take their flack jackets off and put them on these cross-like hangers, then put their helmets on the top of them. So, I thought of those as actually being really central uh to the idea of this monument.

[00:06:46]And on that plinth also has etched into it 13 maple leaves to acknowledge the uh provinces and territories but also the 13-year mission in Afghanistan. And then in the very center is a map of Afghanistan which basically the four flack jackets surround in a sense of protection a sentinel in many ways.

[00:07:10]Three of the four flack jackets represent all those who served with the Canadian armed forces. The fourth represents the civilians who participated in the mission.

[00:07:21]I think it's really important for the monument to honor those who have fallen, but also to recognize those who have served.

[00:07:35]My hopes for the visitor experience is we'll create a sanctuary, a home base, a place where people can go and be calm.

[00:07:51]Hopefully where it opens up the heart where suddenly the individual, you know, has that sense of being transported to a sacred space of remembrance.

[00:08:04]And I hope it travels well into the future that into the future people can look back and see that there was a concerted effort by Canadians to understand that particular history and heal from that history as well.

[00:08:22]learning, healing, recognition, remembrance. For generations to come, the National Monument to Canada's mission in Afghanistan will ensure that Canada remembers.