McNeil cautions against erasing contentious historical figures
Nova Scotia’s premier cautioned against moves to erase Canada’s history Thursday amid questions about a town in his province named for a contentious British general who Montreal has decided to remove from its streetscape.
The town of Amherst was named for Jeffery Amherst, who supported giving smallpox-laced blankets to Indigenous Peoples.
On Wednesday, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre vowed to remove the name Amherst from a street in that city in order to move forward on the path of Indigenous rec- onciliation: “Goodbye Jeffery Amherst,” he said, calling him a “stain on our history.”
On Thursday, Premier Stephen McNeil said he has not heard concerns about the town of Amherst being named for the controversial historical figure.
McNeil said Canada can’t ignore its history, but governments should be sensitive to the concerns of Indigenous groups and strike a balance whenever possible.
He pointed to his government’s 2015 decision to remove a sign for the Cornwallis River near an Aboriginal community. Edward Cornwallis, as governor of Nova Scotia, founded Halifax in 1749 and soon after issued a bounty on Mi’kmaq scalps in response to an attack on colonists.
“People are going to raise the issues that are important to them and that impact them. I think we always let that happen… You can’t ignore our own history, though. You can’t eliminate it,” said McNeil following a cabinet meeting in Halifax Thursday.
“I think we always need to be sensitive to how this is impacting people today, but I think we can’t ignore what was our history collectively… Whether you’re African Nova Scotian, Mi’kmaq, or Acadian — in this province, there were challenging aspects of our history. But we can’t ignore those either. We have to ensure they’re part of our ongoing educational lessons that we teach in this generation.”
Mi’kmaq activist Rebecca Thomas — who successfully prodded Halifax to rethink how it honours Cornwallis — said she would like to see Amherst change its name, but recognized there may be an unwillingness to do that.
She said more education would ensure the public is aware of the entire history of the town’s namesake.
“I think it’s paramount that the town also make it very clear the historical intents of Gen. Amherst,” said Thomas, who is Halifax’s poet laureate. “If you’re not going to rename the town you could have counter-pieces. Perhaps you name a street for a noble Mi’kmaq person, or have other kind of dedications and commemorations to Mi’kmaq people from the community.” Amherst CAO Greg Herrett said Thursday the town had not heard any concerns about its name. “It has not been a discussion topic at council, in my recollection, and I’ve been here almost 20 years, and it’s not currently on council’s agenda. Certainly if a citizen was to write to us or a councillor was to bring it forward, it would be added to the agenda for discussion,” said Herrett in a phone interview. “At some point in time I suppose it may be an issue to be discussed at the political level.” Amherst, born in England in 1717, was made commander in chief of North America and is credited with conquering Canada and defeating the French. French rule on the continent was effectively over after Amherst’s army forced the capitulation of Montreal on Sept. 8, 1760. Amherst also supported killing Indigenous Peoples by giving them giving smallpox-laced blankets. Amherstburg, Ont., is also named for him. Whether to remove the name Amherst has been an ongoing debate in Canada for some time, a discussion which also reflects a larger debate in North America on what to do about symbols commemorating controversial figures.