Regina mayor has no desire to banish statue of Sir John A. Macdonald

As the City of Victoria prepares to banish a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, Mayor Michael Fougere believes a similar effigy should retain its place in Regina’s Victoria Park. “It’s difficult,” he acknowledged. “I think we learn from history — not try to erase history — and I would certainly want to see the statue remain.”

In a committee meeting Thursday, Victoria councillors voted to remove a statue of Canada’s first prime minister that stands before city hall. As in Regina, it has raised divisive questions about Macdonald’s legacy, which is littered with overt racism against Asians and Indigenous people.

Fougere said he would be more receptive to the idea of a plaque to contextualize Macdonald’s role.

“I think that that’s a fair point, to talk about the entire history,” said the mayor. “He built our country. He’s a Father of Confederation. But many things that he did are certainly difficult to accept by today’s standards — and we should know about that.”

Macdonald, who served as superintendent general of Indian affairs during much of his tenure as prime minister, strongly favoured assimilation for Indigenous people in Canada. He presided over the formation of the residential school system. He also opposed Chinese immigration to Canada. But his views were not uncommon at the time, as historians have pointed out, and some of his political opponents held more extreme opinions.

Coun. Andrew Stevens said there is no easy answer to the Macdonald statue. But he believes the city must do something to address the role he and others played in “ethnic cleansing ” in Canada.

“As a city, we need to address what reconciliation means to the community,” he said. “That means public engagement and recognition that these celebrated historical figures left us with the legacy of residential schools, pain, and marginalization.”

He isn’t sure whether a plaque or outright removal is the right approach. The more important issue, for Stevens, is getting more public art with Indigenous themes in Regina.