Kinew to visit Juno Beach for 80th anniversary of D-Day

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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will join Canadian veterans, heads of state, and the Prince of Wales to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day later this week.

Eight decades to the day when Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, under heavy fire from German troops, Kinew will take part in Canada’s commemoration event on Thursday, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and D-Day veterans. Two Indigenous youth from Manitoba will perform at the ceremony — Grace Ginter on the fiddle and Mitchell Makoons on the guitar.

Kinew will also attend the international ceremony that day at Omaha Beach, along with heads of state from France, the United States and the United Kingdom.

“I will have the great honour of attending the commemorations to honour these sacrifices at Juno Beach on behalf of the people of Manitoba,” Kinew told the legislature Monday.

“The uncommon valour we witnessed on D-Day, and in the ultimate victories which led to the end of that war, must never be forgotten. Truly, the global framework of human rights and democracy, that we take as a given today, were forged in the fire of World War II, the horrors of the Holocaust, and in the conventions that followed.

“Gender equality, a consensus around the benefits of immigration, a free and open society in which you are at liberty to be who you want to be — so many of the things we are rightfully proud of, when it comes to our way of life, can be traced back to the troops who stormed Juno Beach and other sites as part of Operation Overlord.”

Wayne Ewasko, interim leader of the Progressive Conservative party, noted of the 14,000 Canadians who stormed Juno Beach, 359 died.

“These men were the sons, brothers, neighbours and friends of people back home,” Ewasko said.

“Their deaths were not in vain and they will never be forgotten.”

Interim Manitoba Liberal Party leader Cindy Lamoureux said the actions of numerous Manitobans contributed to victory on D-Day.

“To their memory, and to their families, for their sacrifice and loss, we honour the fallen and the survivors.”

The day before the anniversary, Kinew will join family members of veterans and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Association to lay a wreath at the regiment’s monument in Courseulles-sur-Mer. The premier will also go to an event at the Beny-sur-Mer cemetery, where Canadian veterans will be in attendance, including Jim Parks of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, as well as paying respects at gravesites of fallen Manitoba soldiers, including Indigenous graves.

As well, there will be wreath laying at two landing spots of the Fort Garry Horse — Saint Aubin-sur-Mer and Bernieres-sur-Mer.

For the first time by the Manitoba government, a wreath will be laid at the Château d’Audrieu monument, the site where 24 Canadian soldiers — most members of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles — were executed as prisoners of war.

On June 7, Kinew will tour the Juno Beach Centre and take part in a smudging ceremony at l’Abbaye d’Ardenne. Twenty Canadians, including Mi’kmaq soldier Private Charles Doucette, were executed there during the war.

It’s the most significant commemoration of the military operation since the 75th anniversary five years ago.

At that time, then-premier Brian Pallister caused controversy when, after announcing to Manitobans he would represent the province at the ceremonies, did not appear at Juno Beach.

Instead of the premier, the province’s special envoy for military affairs, MLA Jon Reyes, took his place. Pallister also missed a wreath laying at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery the day before.

Pallister’s press secretary later confirmed the premier instead went to Lestrem, France, to meet with representatives of agribusiness giant Roquette.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca