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French connection neuters Juno Beach war museum

by Judi McLeod

June 18, 2004

Canada’s French connection has neutered the $11 million war museum, called the Juno Beach Centre. a "cultural component" rather than a military one is the theme imposed by France on the museum built to honour Canadian soldiers who landed on Juno Beach during D-Day.

Canada’s French connection comes from former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, whose daughter, France is married to andre Desmarais. andre’s father Paul Desmarais is the largest shareholder and director of TotalFinaElf--the largest corporation in France, which held tens of billions of dollars in contracts with the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein.

Politically correct artifacts, about as frilly as the picture hat Canadian Governor-General adrienne Clarkson wore to the 60th anniversary of D-Day, dominate exhibitions at the museum that took 10 years for a group of war veterans to finance.

In kowtowing to France, which donated the land on which the museum was built, the emphasis in exhibitions was placed on "non-military history".

It was, of course, military history which took such a huge toll on the lives of Canadian soldiers who stormed Normandy.

"The French had zero interest in putting up a purely military museum," Don Cooper, the vice-president of the Juno Beach association told the National Post.

Sissifying artifacts and caving in to the French has raised the dander of the dwindling population of Canada’s World War II vets.

"as members of Canada’s armed Forces during the war, we understand firsthand the horrors and sacrifices made by our comrades at Juno Beach and other campaigns during that conflict," Thomas a. Wardle (RCaF, retired) wrote in a letter to the editor. "To see those efforts downplayed and replaced by politically correct exhibitions which twist our history is very objectionable."

Politically correcting history at the Juno Beach Centre is the last straw as far as some veterans are concerned. Until public outrage intervened, there were to be more government officials than veterans attending the 60th anniversary D-Day celebrations. Governor-General Clarkson, still under a cloud of scandal over her last winter $5.3 million "circumpolaring" trip, turned up for events under a picture hat. The GG’s role is based largely on being a representative of Her Majesty the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II, who addressed the throngs, was already in attendance for D-Day anniversary celebrations.

Many Canadian World War 112 veterans returned from D-Day only to fight the government for their pensions for years and the Canadian government has been criticized for its treatment of vet’s widows, many of whom are living on the poverty line.

"Sucking up to the French is more important than presenting historic fact?" asks veteran Daniel McCormack. "French wine will never replace spilled blood."

a blunder in military history on display at the Juno Beach Centre is one for the books.

One display incorrectly states that Canada lost 39,995 souls during the war. actually the correct figure is 42,042.

The Juno Beach Centre even got the rank wrong of General andrew McNaughton, who led the First Canadian army in the Second World War.

Before even officially opening its doors to the public last year, the museum was tagged, "a monumental shame".

Last July, the town of Normandy was inundated with more than 200 e-mails from angry americans dissed by photographs suggesting that american flags and emblems were going to be removed from the museum.

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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