MONUMENTAL DEBATE
Here are a few Canadian statues and buildings spurring namesake protests:
Edward Cornwallis: The founder of Halifax reputedly offered a bounty for the scalps of Mi’kmaq people in the mid-1700s. His statue in Halifax has spurred Indigenous protests and the creation of a committee to determine the future of the Cornwallis name in the city;
Egerton Ryerson: The politician and prominent education advocate is the namesake for Ryerson University in Toronto. The student union has called for a name change, arguing Ryerson had influence over the development of residential school policies. Hector-Louis Langevin: The Father of Confederation recently had his name stripped from the Ottawa building that houses the prime minister’s offices, also because of his connection to the residential school system. Calgary’s city council voted to change the name of Langevin bridge to Reconciliation Bridge for the same reason.
genocide in our country.”
He said “decolonizing” public spaces is one way to respect the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission created to help redress historical wrongs done to First Nations people.
Coun. Sam Merulla said he respects the concerns of Indigenous peoples and agrees Canadians shouldn’t ignore the “offensive” acts of celebrated historical figures. He said he’d prefer to keep such monuments as a “teaching opportunity to educate people about the good and the bad.” He urged doing more to honour Indigenous contributions through public art.
In a statement, Premier Kathleen Wynne disagreed with removing Macdonald’s name from schools.
“We need to teach our children the full history of this country — including colonialism, our Indigenous peoples and their history and about what our founders did to create Canada and make it the country it is today.”