Mother Canada statue supporters gather in Green Cove

A gathering is taking place Sunday afternoon in Green Cove, Cape Breton, in support of the Never Forgotten Memorial Project.

A private organization called the Never Forgotten Memorial Foundation is planning to build a 24-metre tall statue called Mother Canada in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park at Green Cove. It's a memorial to soldiers whose remains were never brought home to Canada.

The memorial would be builton a stretch of the trail between Ingonish and Neils Harbour.The memorial's centrepiece is a statue dubbed Mother Canada. It would feature a woman with her arms outstretched toward Europe.

The event is being described as an opportunity for supporters to speak about thereasons the Mother Canada Statue should be built in Green Cove.

The project has caused some controversy with a number of people, including former Parks Canada employees who object to the monument being built in a Parks Canada site. The former employees say the site should be reserved for preserving Canada's wilderness.

Others, particularly those living in the area, want to see the project go ahead.

Parks Canada has received more than 6,000 comments from the public about the proposed location.