City council must regain the confidence of citizens

‘Once again, council does the right thing the wrong way.” Wise words from a resident posting on social media in response to the city council decision to move the statue Sir John A. Macdonald.

Clearly, the process that leads us to action can be of equal importance to the action itself. In this instance, as part of the ongoing journey to reconciliation with the First Nations, upon whose territory we live, a very different process was identified to forge relationships and identify the path forward.

The “city family” group was created, comprised of the mayor, two members of council and representatives of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations. This group has been meeting for the past year, and discussions during this time included the issue of the Macdonald sculpture at city hall.

On Tuesday, a report came from the city family, to be considered at the council meeting on Thursday, on the subject of the statue. While the report met the notice requirements for inclusion on the agenda, it had not formed part of the main agenda that was published on Aug. 3.

At best, members of the public felt frustrated that there had not been more time available to consider this important issue. At worst, fears were expressed that it was done in this way to lessen the opportunity for public discourse.

As the city family conducts itself in a manner that is very different from that of civic governance, the report was also in a very different form from the general practice. Decision-making, with regard to reconciliation, is made by the city family with the Songhees and Esquimalt chiefs and councils as witnesses.

For the past year, the city family has met monthly in what the mayor has described as a year of discussion, deliberation, truth-sharing and seeking counsel from the nations. The city representatives on this group have described it as providing opportunities to grow, reconsider, re-examine and re-imagine in a revelatory way. Clearly an extraordinary and lifechanging experience for those who were part of this group.

The first concrete action determined by the group was the removal of the Macdonald statue. As this initiative found its way onto the council agenda, it became clear that other members of council and the public had not been able to share this journey.

It became clear that if we are to move forward as a community on the path of reconciliation that a critical juncture exists where the deliberations of the city family move forward to be implemented by council. The timing of this initiative did not provide an adequate opportunity for the public to be provided with clear information. It did not provide an opportunity for this initiative to build a bridge on the road to reconciliation rather than creating an obstacle.

While there has been much support for this initiative, there has also been a tremendous amount of anger, confusion and frustration. As a member of council, I found myself in a very difficult situation. “Painted into a corner,” as suggested in the Times Colonist editorial on Aug. 11.

While I do not support the removal of the statue, I do support its relocation, not to erase history, but to provide an opportunity for the whole story to be told. A relocation that would include a meaningful accounting of the breadth of Macdonald’s political career — both the good and the bad.

A relocation that has long been the desire of the society that funded and commissioned the sculpture. The society’s preference has been that the statue be located near the legislative precinct, both for its prominence and for its more direct connection to Macdonald’s political career.

Clearly, council has failed in providing a meaningful juncture between the city family process and the public’s expectations of the role of local government.

Having done the right thing, in the wrong way, there is much to be done to regain the confidence of our citizens.