The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, announced yesterday that in 2020-2021, Veterans Affairs Canada plans to complete repairs to veteran grave markers in more than 20 cemeteries on Prince Edward Island — a total investment of more than $100,000.
“Those who served and sacrificed on behalf of our country deserve our eternal respect,” Min. MacAulay said. “I’m proud of the work that is happening here on PEI and across Canada — even at a time like this – to restore and repair the grave markers of our veterans. We will continue to visit their gravesites, honour their sacrifices and preserve their legacy for generations to come.”
The repairs are being completed as part of ongoing grave maintenance work taking place across the country. The work, which began in 2018, after the Government of Canada announced an investment of $24.4 million to address urgently needed repairs, will continue into 2023.
Of the total estimated 57,000 repairs being done over five years, approximately 990 are to be done on Prince Edward Island.
Veterans Affairs Canada and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintain the gravesites and grave markers, that were provided and installed by the Government of Canada, of more than 300,000 fallen Canadian Armed Forces members here and throughout the world.
Over the last fifteen years, Veteran Affairs Canada has inspected gravesites and gravemarkers across Canada. A databank containing pictures, GPS readings and conditions of the markers has been established from these inspections and is used to develop the annual cemetery maintenance plan.
The progress of the grave marker maintenance project can be tracked on the interactive map available here.
