OTTAWA, ONTARIO.- Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, veterans, currently serving members of Canada's military, and young cadets took part in a ceremony yesterday to unveil the Valiants Memorial, a new national monument.

The Valiants Memorial is a collection of nine busts and five statues depicting individuals from critical periods of conflict in our nation's history and a large bronze wall. The inscription on the wall reads Nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo. ("No day shall ever erase you from the memory of time"). The Memorial is located on the northeast side of the National War Memorial in Ottawa (the Sappers Stairway).

"War has had a profound influence on the evolution of our country," said the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women.

"The Valiants Memorial honours the sacrifices and contributions of all those who have served their country in war and reminds us of the role that our military history has played in building our nation," said Hamilton Southam, President of the Valiants Foundation.

The project is a collaboration between the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Capital Commission, and the Valiants Foundation, which is composed of representatives from veterans groups, eminent Canadian military historians, and other notable advisors recognized in their fields. Other federal partners include Veterans Affairs, National Defence, the Canadian War Museum, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

The total cost of the project is expected to be $1.1 million. Canadian Heritage is providing just over 75 percent of the funding, and the Valiants Foundation the other 25 percent.