New exhibit bridges generation gap at Juno Beach Centre

Peter Mallett, 
Staff Writer

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An update to a permanent exhibit at the Juno Beach Centre will shine a brighter spotlight on today’s Canadian war veterans.

Located in Normandy, France, the Juno Beach Centre is a popular tourist destination that pays tribute to the 14,000 Canadian Troops that landed there on June 6, 1944, a decisive moment of the Second World War.

“This is more than just a D-Day museum,” said Marie Eve Vaillancourt, Juno Beach Centre Exhibitions Director. “It was the wish of the veterans who helped found the Juno Beach Centre that the museum focus on Canada’s history following the Second World War.”

Vaillancourt said the Centre’s new Faces of Canada Today project is one way the museum is continuing to grow and why it remains a beacon of Canada’s presence on the beaches of Normandy.

The Faces of Canada Today exhibit will re-open in spring 2024, and will provide an important update of those who have served in conflicts following the Second World War, including the Korean War, Afghanistan and United Nations Peace Keeping Missions, and NATO missions throughout the Cold War.

This is the first major update for the exhibit in over 20 years, and will contain the first references to Canada’s role in Afghanistan, Vaillancourt noted.

Vaillancourt said the centrepiece of the new Faces of Canada Today will feature personal stories and reflections of diverse Canadians and details the numerous peacekeeping missions in
which the Canadian Armed Forces participated.

The exhibit will include military families and their importance in mission success. It will also include a celebration of Canada’s historic relationship with France, particularly the strength of its friendship and alliance which remains strong today.

Like the rest of the Juno Beach Centre, Faces of Canada Today will have a strong link to the Second World War, Vaillancourt said. The Juno Beach Centre’s Legacy of Honour film project will also be included in the new exhibit which interviews 12 Second World War veterans including Victoria’s 102-year-old Cdr (ret’d) Peter Chance. 

The Juno Beach Centre Association has launched a fundraising campaign to help pay for the costs of the exhibit which will conclude on June 6, 2024 to coincide with the 80th anniversary of D-Day. For more information on the project, including how to donate, visit www.junobeach.org