Better ways to address grim history: McKenna
OTTAWA — The minister responsible for Parks Canada says tearing down statues is not the solution when it comes to addressing the darker side of Canadian history.
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has asked the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to look at how to address concerns with historical figures like John A. Macdonald, whose role in establishing residential schools has made him a polarizing figure in reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples.
“I’ve tasked them to look at how do you have a thoughtful way with addressing concerns with certain people in our history but you can’t erase history,” McKenna said. “I personally believe that it’s important that we recognize our history — the good and bad — and that we tell stories, because it’s by telling stories we recognize that we can do better.”
One option may be to erect a second statue or monument next to a controversial figure to represent Indigenous history at a particular site, she suggested.
McKenna’s perspective seems in keeping with the recommendation of Sen. Murray Sinclair, the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, who has suggested that tearing down statues is “counterproductive” to reconciliation because it “smacks of revenge.” Sinclair’s preference is for Canada to find more ways to recognize and honour Indigenous history and Indigenous Peoples. The issue of tearing down statues has been a hot topic this week after the Victoria city council voted to remove a statue of Macdonald from the steps of city hall and is now considering where to put it.
Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, is the man who commissioned residential schools, which sought to assimilate Indigenous children, forcing them to attend schools often thousands of miles from home. The schools were run by the churches on behalf of the federal government and thousands of students were subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Sinclair’s comprehensive report looking at the history of the schools and their impact branded them as “cultural genocide.”