Former home of Sir John A. Macdonald reopens with new exhibits exploring complex legacy

Above the bed in the main room of a villa where Sir Jo‐ hn A. Macdonald once slept, there's now a screen playing a video where In‐ digenous elders share teachings and speak about their hopes for the future.

Cards outlining each of those teachings are available on a table nearby, so visitors can take one with them when they leave.

It's just one of the new ex‐ hibits at Bellevue House in Kingston, Ont., but it symbol‐ izes the balance curators of the national historic site have tried to strike - reconciling the role of Canada's first prime minister with the present and ensuring previ‐ ously-silenced communities have a voice.

Adding layers to the story

Macdonald and his family briefly lived in the house from 1848 to1849. The tow‐ ering, white and green build‐ ing is cited as an example of "Italian Villa" architecture and has welcomed tourists for decades.

Bellevue closed to the public in 2018 to undergo re‐ pairs. Six years later, it's set to reopen its doors during a ceremony Saturday morning.

The site has traditionally been a celebration of Mac‐ donald's accomplishments as the father of Confederation and prime minister of almost 19 years.

Those elements are still present - there's a detailed timeline of his political life, along with glass of whisky as befitting a man known to en‐ joy his drink. An elegant out‐ fit is also on display, signify‐ ing his reputation as a snap‐ py dresser.

But there's also elements showing a deeper under‐ standing of the impacts of

Macdonald's decisions.

"There are people that are likely concerned that we are erasing the history or some‐ how changing the history of Macdonald and we don't think of it that way, because ultimately those same stories are still part of the tapestry of what's shared here," said

Hugh Ostrom, a national his‐ toric site superintendent with Parks Canada.

"It's not an erasure or change. It's simply adding layers on complexity to the story."

'You can't sanitize histo‐ ry'

In recent years Macdon‐ ald's legacy has come under scrutiny, particularly his role in the creation of the residen‐ tial school system.

Statues of the prime min‐ ister have been vandalized or toppled and his name has been stripped from public buildings and roadways.

Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte elected Chief Donald Maracle knows the realities of residential schools. He said his grandfather was abused while attending one and his great aunt died there.

"You can't sanitize his‐ tory," said Maracle, who took part in Parks Canada consul‐ tations to reimagine Bellevue and is present at the site in the form of a video sharing his people's past.

"I think any place where the Canadian public can learn about the country they live in, and its relationship with the Indigenous people is a good thing," he added. "It's a piece of education, but it's more of a balanced educa‐ tion."

A display in the orchard at Bellevue titled "A Conversa‐ tion With Many Voices" provides examples of state‐ ments commonly said by visi‐ tors about Macdonald and acts as a window into the range of opinions on the con‐ troversial figure.

One describes him as a "monster," while another notes we "wouldn't have

Canada without him."

Ostrom said staff with Parks Canada took Bellevue's closure as an opportunity to work with a community advi‐ sory committee including racialized and Indigenous members to share their per‐ spectives on the former prime minister.

He pointed to the home's opulent dining room as an example.

While it showcases ma‐ hogany furniture, shiny sil‐ verware and fine china, the room now begs the question, whose celebrations were stripped away?

A panel on the wall ex‐ plains acts of parliament that forbid Indigenous people from taking part in their tra‐ ditions and cultural gather‐ ings as part of assimilation.

"That's a really important message, I think, for people to come and see and recog‐ nize that Canada's Confeder‐ ation has had different im‐ pacts on different communi‐ ties," said Ostrom.

The theme continues on the second storey. One room includes a Gothic revival cra‐ dle made of dark wood and deep red fabric that be‐ longed to Macdonald's family.

Next to it is an ornate cra‐ dle board, used by Indige‐ nous mothers to carry their babies. Near the door is a desk, part of an exhibit about the lasting damage of resi‐ dential schools.

Learning to do better Video screens and audio recordings share pieces of history and perspectives throughout the house and there are also opportunities for visitors to provide feed‐ back.

Staff said they've already noticed the length of the av‐ erage tour has increased to around an hour and a half.

Maracle, the Mohawk chief, said Bellevue now does a better job of encompassing all of Macdonald's legacy.

He urged Canadians to learn more about the coun‐ try's Indigenous peoples and their culture.

"If you learn about the history of the country, then that might actually create a desire to do better in the fu‐ ture."