The addition of the Memorial Book, the Pavilion and the Honour Roll
The addition of the Memorial Book, the Pavilion and the Honour Roll
The addition of the Memorial Book, the Pavilion and the Honour Roll
During the 1984 service in Ottawa , a Memorial book of remembrance for police and correctional officers killed while on duty was introduced by the Office of the Solicitor General and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP).
On March 22, 1994 , Prime Minister Jean Chrétien joined the more than 700 police officers and relatives of slain officers at a site behind the Parliament buildings. The Canadian Police Association (CPA) and the CACP dedicated the new Canadian Police Memorial Pavilion and the granite stone at the base of the pavilion that displays the names of officers killed while on duty.
When the granite stone was unveiled in 1994, it displayed the names of 227 police officers killed in the line of duty since 1879. Two other stones were also erected; one for peace officers who died in the line of duty and another explaining the pavilion’s history. In 1995, the memorial honour roll was expanded to include the names of slain officers from other Canadian law enforcement agencies, including, Ministry of Natural Resources, Customs and Excise, Fisheries and Oceans, and Conservation.
As the turn of the millennium approached, the granite stones and memorial book presented several challenges. In 1999 the Canadian Police Association, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Canadian Peace Officers Memorial Association worked collaboratively with officials from Public Works and Government Services Canada, to design a new honour roll to enhance the Memorial Pavilion site, compliment the design features of parliament hill, and provide sufficient space to recognize our heroes for another 100 years.
The parties agreed upon a glass panel monument, to be erected along the perimeter wall adjacent to the Memorial Pavilion. The new monument enhances the existing Memorial Pavilion, provides a lasting tribute to our heroes, and ensures that future generations will be provided with a striking reminder of the sacrifices of our fallen heroes. The new honour roll will be unveiled in conjunction with the 2000 Memorial Service, as part of Parliament’s millennium celebration, replacing the granite stones and retiring the Memorial Book of Remembrance.