National monument to Canada’s Afghan mission won't be completed until 2028

A rendering shows what the new memorial to those who served in the Afghan war will look like. Photo by Government of Canada / Team Stim

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The new national monument to Canada’s Afghan mission will be completed in the fall of 2028, more than a decade past its original schedule.

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The Canadian government broke ground Monday in Ottawa on the future site of the National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan. The monument will be located at LeBreton Flats near the Canadian War Museum.

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Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight called the proposed monument “a lasting testament, honouring the courage and sacrifice of the Canadians who served.”

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“It invites us to remember those who gave their lives, to recognize the families who carried the weight of service, and to ensure that the legacy of this mission continues to shape who we are as a nation,” she said Monday.

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More than 40,000 Canadian Forces members, as well as hundreds of civilians and government officials, were involved in the Afghanistan mission from 2001 to 2014. The war was Canada’s longest combat deployment.

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But the project faced years of delays because of arguments over the specific location of the site in Ottawa.

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Several veterans spoke out against the original proposed location after the Conservative government initially chose a site at Richmond Landing, near the Royal Canadian Navy Monument along the Ottawa River, according to the Canadian Press. Veterans were concerned that site was too isolated and difficult to reach, especially in the winter.

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By 2017 the project was in limbo.

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In June 2025, the National Capital Commission approved a new location on Booth Street at LeBreton Flats. The plan at that time called for the finished monument to be unveiled in 2027.

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Government officials noted Monday that the memorial will now open in late 2028 and that construction would begin in the “spring” of 2026. The project cost was set years ago at around $5 million.

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Veterans Affairs Canada did not answer when specifically construction would begin or whether the project was still budgeted at $5 million.

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“The procurement process for the monument’s construction is almost complete and these details are still in the process of being finalized,” said Marc Lescoutre, a spokesperson for Veterans Affairs, in an email Tuesday, May 5.

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A rendering shows what the new memorial to those who served in the Afghan war will look like. Courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada. Photo by VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA

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The Afghan mission claimed the lives of 158 Canadian Forces members, a diplomat, four aid workers, a government contractor and Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang. More than 2,000 soldiers were wounded and countless others are continuing to deal with psychological injuries.

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The war, at times, was highly controversial, with a number of senior Canadian and U.S. military officers predicting the eventual defeat of the Taliban. But in August 2021, the Taliban took control of the country after U.S. troops pulled out.