Latest news with #DonnaSkelly
CBC
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Sir John A. Macdonald statue at Queen's Park visible to public for 1st time in 5 years
Social Sharing The public can once again see the statue of John A. Macdonald outside Queens Park. The statue had been surrounded by wooden hoarding for the past five years. It was first covered up in 2020 after demonstrators threw pink paint on it amid wave of protests across the country that took aim at Macdonald as Canadians grappled with the history of residential schools. Workers took down the hoarding Wednesday after a legislative committee voted to remove the covering last month. "As Speaker, I recognize the sensitivities surrounding the history of Canada's first Prime Minister and I welcome all Ontarians to express their views — peacefully," Speaker Donna Skelly said in a statement about the removal of the hoarding. "Violence and acts of vandalism will not be tolerated, and the Legislative Protective Service will actively monitor the statue and grounds." Children's shoes that were placed at the base of the statue after the discovery of possible unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools were "carefully and respectfully" removed and stored prior to the removal of the hoarding, the statement says. The question of what to do with the monument of Canada's first Prime Minister has been controversial. Macdonald is considered an architect of the country's residential school system that took Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them. WATCH | The complicated legacy of Canada's first PM: The controversy around John A. MacDonald's complicated legacy 7 years ago Duration 10:09 Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, has a controversial and complicated legacy. He's called the father of Confederation, but some say his policies that hurt Indigenous people mean he shouldn't be honoured with statues and tributes across the country. The National talks to people on both sides of the debate. The NDP's Sol Mamakwa is a residential school survivor, and the only First Nation member at Queen's Park. He has said the statue is a source of pain. "It's not just a statue," he said last month after the decision to uncover the statue was made. "It's a statue of oppression. It is a statue of colonialism. It is a statue of Indian residential schools." Skelly says she hopes a committee will approve a monument recognizing those who attended residential schools and said Mamakwa would be welcome to join that committee.
National Post
11-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside Ontario legislature freed after being in a box for five years
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. Article content The statue of Canada's first prime minister has been under hoarding since 2020, when it was vandalized with pink paint. Article content Article content 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. Article content Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a non-partisan board of the legislative assembly agreed earlier this month on a motion to remove the hoarding after the statue is cleaned. Article content Speaker Donna Skelly says she recognizes the sensitivities surrounding Macdonald and welcomes Ontarians to come and share their views peacefully. Article content Article content
National Post
30-05-2025
- General
- National Post
Chris Selley: Is Sir John A. Macdonald being set up for a fall?
All eyes will be on Toronto later this summer — or they should be, because it could be darkly hilarious. That's when Queen's Park undertakes a bold, interdisciplinary experiment in Canadian history, policing and law: The province is going to let Sir John A. Macdonald's statue out of the plywood prison it has inhabited for five years. The monument had been restored after previous vandalism, only to find itself in a box to prevent future vandalism. Article content Article content Article content It is possible, as National Post's Tristin Hopper argued this week, that we may be seeing the end of 'Canada's nationwide purge of historic figures and names' — at least by governments themselves. That'd be nice. But has anyone asked the yobbos who vandalize and tear down statues if they're done with the purge? Article content Article content 'How are you going to stop the same thing from happening all over again?' was among the questions reporters asked of the people in charge. The answer wasn't entirely convincing. Article content 'Legislative security will be keeping a close eye on it,' The Canadian Press assured us, based on speaker of the legislature Donna Skelly's remarks. Legislative security and the Ontario Provincial Police, who patrol the legislature grounds (with assistance from the Toronto Police Service), had better be keeping a close eye on it, because Skelly even invited the Macdonald-haters to come to the as-yet-unscheduled unveiling. Article content 'People have the right to protest here. As long as no one is hurt, and you don't break the rules or the law, you're welcome,' said Skelly (a Progressive Conservative MPP), before taking it even further: 'This is where you should be protesting.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Of course, it's unlikely anyone would try to splatter, behead or topple Macdonald during an official event. So one hopes the Queen's Park security aces at least have a camera or two trained on the statue, if not to actually prevent any vandalism then at least to apprehend and charge the offenders. Article content But then, this is a city where a certain traffic speed-enforcement camera has been taken down five times by vandals in six months — and in one case, subsequently thrown in a pond — and apparently no one has thought to install a camera that might record people doing it. We are not imaginative people. Article content Montreal police never found the gang that beheaded Macdonald's statue in Place du Canada in 2020; instead, the city just decided not to reinstall it, since it was constantly getting vandalized. Problem solved! Why waste police time over some old dead bronze guy? Article content In 2021, something calling itself an Indigenous Unity Rally hauled down the statue of Macdonald in Gore Park in Hamilton, Ont. City police investigated in earnest, by the sounds of it, and laid charges against a 56-year-old suspect. Then, prosecutors stayed the charges.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Hoarding covering Sir John A. Macdonald statue at Queen's Park to be removed
Hoarding covers the statue of Canada's first prime minister John A. MacDonald outside Queen's Park in Toronto. (CTV News Toronto) TORONTO — Hoarding that has covered a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald on the grounds of the Ontario legislature for the past five years is set to soon be removed. The statue of Canada's first prime minister has been boxed up since 2020, when it was vandalized. The monument was one of many to be targeted across the country amid anti-racism protests and as Canadians grappled with the history of residential schools. A man places flowers on a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald after demonstrators threw pink paint on it at Queen's Park in Toronto on Saturday, July 18, 2020. A man places flowers on a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald after demonstrators threw pink paint on it at Queen's Park in Toronto on Saturday, July 18, 2020. The man said it was disappointing to see the statue vandalized and the flower were to show his respect to Sir John A. CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio Macdonald is considered an architect of the country's notorious residential school system that took Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them. Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a non-partisan board of the legislative assembly agreed earlier this month on a motion to remove the hoarding after the statue is cleaned. Speaker Donna Skelly says the statue should be ready this summer and she welcomes both supporters and protesters to come to Queen's Park. Government House Leader Steve Clark says a legislative committee has been tasked with looking at how to respect Indigenous representation at Queen's Park amid a project to rehabilitate the building. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025. Allison Jones and Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Sir John A. Macdonald statue at Queen's Park to be uncovered after 5 years
Hoarding that has covered a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald on the grounds of the Ontario legislature for the past five years is set to soon be removed. The statue of Canada's first prime minister has been boxed up since 2020, when it was vandalized. The monument was one of many to be targeted across the country amid anti-racism protests and as Canadians grappled with the history of residential schools. Macdonald is considered an architect of the country's notorious residential school system that took Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them. Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a non-partisan board of the legislative assembly agreed earlier this month on a motion to remove the hoarding after the statue is cleaned. Speaker Donna Skelly says the statue should be ready this summer and she welcomes both supporters and protesters to come to Queen's Park. Government House leader Steve Clark says a legislative committee has been tasked with looking at how to respect Indigenous representation at Queen's Park amid a project to rehabilitate the building.
