Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside Ontario legislature freed after being in a box for five years
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TORONTO — The Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside the Ontario legislature is back in full view after spending the past five years in a box.
The statue of Canada's first prime minister has been under hoarding since 2020, when it was vandalized with pink paint.
The monument was one of many that were targeted across the country amid anti-racism protests and as Canadians grappled with the history of residential schools.
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Toronto Star
3 hours ago
- Toronto Star
It's the right time to unveil Sir John A. Macdonald's statue
Given up for dead, Sir John A. Macdonald has risen again. Entombed for five years, his likeness has re-emerged at the foot of Queen's Park this week. For better or for worse. No worse for wear. When last seen, the towering bronze of Sir John A. was covered in paint, then covered in protective wooden hoarding. The legislature's security force couldn't protect the former prime minister from protesters, so he was hidden from view. Lost in time, Macdonald lost out to the times. The politician who gave birth to Canada was condemned for raining death upon Indigenous people, presiding over the blight of the residential schools system. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Times change — and change again. Once celebrated, later denigrated, now reincarnated. Macdonald's statue has been unveiled and is on view again. Bathed in sunlight, basted with a protective coating to ward off graffiti, the bronze of our first prime minister is braced for a fresh historical reckoning in the days to come. Which is as it should be. History is a work in progress — it is always being updated and rewritten with the passage of time. That doesn't mean we can write the central characters out of history, nor does it mean every politician deserves a place of prominence despite his misdeeds. Truth and reconciliation is also about reckoning. Protesting, perhaps, but not vandalizing or defacing or decapitating. It is about learning from history — the good, the bad and the grey. And learning how to debate our history, which comes in all shades for peoples of all colours — rather than splashing pink paint or overwriting with graffiti. Our legislature is 'a place for debate and deliberation on issues that matter in our province,' reads a sign placed beside the statue when it was first vandalized and then vanished for five years. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Though we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind.' Not a bad placeholder. It took the legislature a long time to look back and figure out a path forward for the Macdonald bronze, one of many debatable statues on the grounds of Queen's Park. After all, did not Queen Victoria, whose likeness sits nearby, preside over Britain's colonial excesses? Where to end? All three major party leaders have belatedly endorsed the move to liberate Macdonald, as has the new speaker at Queen's Park, Donna Skelly. That's a good start. As a former journalist, Skelly knows well that journalism is often described as the first draft of history. It is subject to many future revisions and rewrites, depending on who is doing the writing. 'I welcome all Ontarians to express their views — peacefully,' she stressed. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW History, like statues, cannot be long covered up. Macdonald was an architect of the residential schools system, which led to 150,000 Indigenous children being uprooted from their homes, many subject to abuse and death. Sol Mamakwa, the sole First Nations MPP in the legislature, was one of those unwilling students in the system. Today, he is among those who oppose the return of Macdonald's statue, calling for it to be relocated to a museum, out of sight of the legislature. 'It's a statue of oppression, it is a statue of colonialism, it is a statue of Indian residential schools,' he argues. Mamakwa is a widely respected NDP parliamentarian who has played a pioneering role in the legislature, not least by advancing the place of Indigenous languages. When he rises to speak in the chamber, a hush falls upon the place. But when all rise, Mamakwa isn't always among them. As an Indigenous MPP, he pointedly refuses to stand for the national anthem – which is his absolute right. My point is that Mamakwa has a world view and an Indigenous view that he comes to honestly and viscerally. Not all Canadians share that view, so his perspective cannot easily be transposed or imposed upon all. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW It's worth noting that Mamakwa's personal likeness also appears on the grounds of the legislature. An official legislative banner celebrating his role as a trail-blazing politician, holding an eagle's feather, is placed prominently just a stone's throw away from the Macdonald bronze. Imagine if those who opposed Mamakwa's words and actions were to deface his image on the grounds of the legislature. We would be justly outraged, demanding that police and the legislature's security officers apprehend the perpetrators. The legislature and its grounds must remain a place to debate, not deface. For there are views of Macdonald's place in Canadian history that are also hard to ignore — notably that he played a vital role in founding the country and forging a nation despite the gravitational pull of American influence. He built a railroad that tied the country together, even as he tore Indigenous nations apart. It is a complicated legacy that demands context but also consultation. All the more reason to replace the original brass plaque at the base of the Macdonald statue. It hails his historical contributions without contextualizing his depredations. The old plaque is a sign of the times. Time for an updated draft of Macdonald's full history from another time — black and white and grey. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
