FIRST READING: Restored John A. Macdonald statue could be beginning of the end for history purge

National Post

28-05-2025

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Ryerson University renamed itself as Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022, over connections to the Indian Residential School system.
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Although Egerton Ryerson was long dead before the establishment of the first Indian residential school, he had advocated a program of Indigenous children being taught 'industry and sobriety' at boarding schools located far from their home communities.
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Indian residential schools have also largely characterized the push to remove symbols of Sir John A. Macdonald. Although Macdonald was the singular figure who stitched together Canada's current form, his record on Indigenous affairs was controversial even in his own time.
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The renaming trend has slowed to a trickle of late, particularly amidst a wave off flag-waving patriotism sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war against Canada, and repeated annexation threats. An ongoing Toronto District School Board renaming push remains one of the only such programs underway at a governmental level.
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But the announced unboxing of Ontario Legislative Assembly's Macdonald statue represents one of the first times that a government will be reversing a sanction imposed against a Canadian historical symbol over the past five years.
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It occurs amid a recent debate in Wilmot, Ont., to similarly restore a Macdonald statue that was placed into storage after being splashed with red paint in 2020. Beginning last year, the community began consultations on a possible re-installation of the statue, which depicts Macdonald holding two chairs, a symbol of his bringing together of rival camps in the negotiations that created Canada.
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Tuesday's speech from the throne, read by King Charles III, is actually one of the few ways to divine what the Carney government intends to do, since they've dispensed with the usual indicators such as a budget or specific mandate letters.
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It may also be notable for what it didn't contain:
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Woke stuff. As noted by National Post's John Ivison, the speech is entirely free of the culture war beats that defined so much of the Trudeau era. As recently as 2021, the Speech from the Throne was laden with lines like 'fighting systemic racism, sexism, discrimination, misconduct and abuse, including in our core institutions will remain a priority.'
Any mention whatsoever of oil and gas. Or pipelines, for that matter. All it does is repeat a Liberal campaign pledge to make Canada the 'world's leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy.'
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It was only six months ago that the Liberal Party was polling at historic lows due in large part to the refusal of then prime minister Justin Trudeau to resign. As was frequently noted at the time, the Liberals could have easily swapped out their unpopular leader much earlier if only they'd bothered to sign on to the Reform Act, a piece of legislation that gives the caucus enhanced powers to trigger a leadership review. With the start of a new Parliament, the Liberals had a fresh opportunity to subscribe to the terms of the Reform Act and avoid any future debacles with leaders who refuse to leave. They decided 'no.' A source told National Post that a 'large majority' Liberal MPs voted against holding Prime Minister Mark Carney to the terms of the Reform Act.
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