Doug Ford says he pushed to free Sir John A. Macdonald statue at Queen's Park
The decision to reveal the statue, pushed by Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a legislative committee earlier this week, has reignited debate about Macdonald's tainted legacy at a time when the province is facing new tensions with First Nations.
Speaking to reporters at Queen's Park on Friday, Mr. Ford said Ontario has to face its past in order to move forward with its future.
'I've been working on getting that box taken off,' Mr. Ford said. 'I can't wait. I'm getting a lot of messages. So yeah, we're freeing John A.'
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The Premier added that it is not the time to argue about a statue, but rather to come together as a province.
'You have to support our first prime minister. You know, things have happened over a number of years, but we can't just box them up. We have to move on. Stop worrying about the past,' he said.
'Let's start working together as a country.'
The Macdonald statue has been covered with grey hoarding since Black Lives Matter protesters splashed it with pink paint in 2020. It is one of several prominent statues of the first prime minister to face vandalism or be removed entirely owing to Macdonald's role in the establishment of Canada's Indigenous residential school system.
At present, the Progressive Conservative government is facing vehement opposition from Indigenous leaders over its Bill 5, which would give Ontario sweeping powers to speed up the construction of new mines or other projects.
Opposition NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa, the Legislature's only First Nations MPP – and who attended a residential school – said earlier this week the decision to reveal the statue is disrespectful, especially as First Nations have had to come to Queen's Park to battle Bill 5, which they say violates their treaty rights. He warned that the unboxing of Macdonald could result in protests, vandalism or even the toppling of the statue.
He said the government should instead move the statue to a museum, or build a memorial for the victims of residential schools and put up a plaque explaining what Mr. Macdonald means to First Nations.
The statue is set to be cleaned and covered in a protective film and unveiled in the summer, said Donna Skelly, the Speaker of the legislature who presides over its debates and the grounds.
A sign long posted on the Macdonald statue's hoarding will be 'formalized' and remain on display, Ms. Skelly said this week. It tells visitors that though 'we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind.' The sign also says the Speaker is 'considering how the depictions of those histories in the monuments and statuary on the Assembly's grounds can respect all of our diverse cultures and peoples.'
Mr. Ford urged critics to protest peacefully.
'You can come out there and jump up and down and protest all day long, do cartwheels. That's democracy,' he said on Friday. 'Vandalizing property is not democracy.'
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