There is a continued need for the Canada Remembers Program. Commemorating the achievements and sacrifices of Veterans and honouring the war dead is important to Veterans and Canadians. Veterans and Canadians participate in remembrance in a variety of ways throughout the year, with Veterans’ Week and Remembrance Day being a time with increased awareness and participation. The department has undertaken numerous consultations with Veterans, Canadians and key stakeholders to develop a vision and strategy for the future of commemorative programming. Further measures are needed to evolve programming and delivery to engage with all Canadians. The Canada Remembers Program contributes to VAC’s mandate to recognize and remember the achievements and sacrifices of those who served Canada in times of war, military conflict and peace. The program aligns with the role, responsibilities and priorities of the federal government.
The program has been collecting data to support its outputs and outcomes; however, improvements should be made to provide better information to management to inform decision-making. There is overlap in the program’s outcomes and some indicators and targets should be updated to better reflect the objectives of the program and align to the 2020-2030 Strategic Plan for Commemoration. Also, the importance of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is not reflected in the PIP. Commemoration should track and measure the success of the overseas memorials separately from the overall Canada Remembers Program. Targeted information related to conservation and visitor experience would be helpful in program management and decision making, as current measures are combined with other measures and encompass overall remembrance initiatives. Outcomes and performance indicators should be developed specific to overseas memorials.
The 2020-2030 Strategic Plan for Commemoration sets a new course and new expectations for the future of commemoration. While progress has been made to action items in the plan, additional support and focus are needed to ensure that modern day Veterans are recognized and that Canadians remain engaged in remembrance.