Statement made on 30 March 2010 by Senator Jane Cordy
Hon. Jane Cordy:
Honourable senators, April 15, 2012 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Along with Belfast, Cork, Southampton and Cherbourg, Halifax played a significant role in the history of the Titanic. In April of 1912, Halifax was a staging site for much of the search and rescue operations where cable ships were dispatched to pick up victims and debris. Halifax's Fairview Lawn Cemetery is the final resting place for 150 of the victims of the Titanic disaster. The gravestones of those buried there align to form the shape of a ship's hull.
For an excellent history lesson on the Titanic search and rescue operation, I encourage all senators to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. The museum does an outstanding job of telling the story of the legacy of Halifax and the role Halifax played in the Titanic disaster rescue mission. The museum houses many Titanic artifacts that were pulled from the water within weeks of the sinking by ships from Halifax searching for Titanic victims. Included in the exhibit with the wooden items pulled from the Atlantic Ocean is one of the only Titanic deck chairs known to exist.
Efforts are under way in Nova Scotia to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic by The Titanic 100 Society. The Titanic 100 Society is a broad-based initiative whose goal is to bring together community organizations and partners to strengthen ties with the legacy of the Titanic and promote the province of Nova Scotia and its efforts in the aftermath of one of history's greatest nautical disasters.
To help highlight the role Nova Scotia played in the rescue and recovery operations, the Titanic 100 Society plans to work with community partners and tourism Nova Scotia to organize events and programs in 2012 to commemorate the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic.
I support the Titanic 100 Society's efforts and I hope honourable senators will lend their support as well.