Mr. Speaker, the French government is reviewing plans to build a third airport for the city of Paris on the battlefields in the Somme area. The proposed airport will disturb the resting place of more than 1,200 soldiers who died fighting in the great wars.
The graves of 412 Canadian soldiers, almost one-third of the marked graves which includes a Victoria Cross recipient, will be affected by the proposed airport.
Should this plan go ahead, regardless of where the airport is located, the airport will be on sacred land where the cemeteries sit, as it will be placed over the bodies of thousands of unknown soldiers.
I am happy to hear that the Minister of Veterans Affairs is committed to fight against the airports planned location.
This plan should stop in the planning stages. I would encourage the Minister of Veterans Affairs, in co-operation with the War Graves Commission and other affected Commonwealth countries, to make this a top priority.
Urban expansion is an issue that affects cities around the world but there is only one Somme battlefield and the marked and unmarked graves of thousands of soldiers should be left to rest in peace.