TRC report sparks calls to rename structures

• The federal gover nt should consider renaming the building that houses the Prime Minister’s Office because it’s named for an architect of the oppressive residential school system, says a professor of native studies.

The Langevin Block, a sandstone building across the street from Parliament Hill, is named for Hector-Louis Langevin, a Father of Confederation who helped create the school system that removed aboriginal children from their families to save them from becoming, in his words, “savages.”

“I would like to see a name change in the light of reconcili ation,” said Linda Many Guns, a professor of indigenous philosophy at the University of Lethbridge, who is also supportive of a petition to rename Calgary’s Langevin Bridge. The petition was launched after the report this month of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which examined the residential school legacy.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says he’s considering the request to change the bridge’s name.

Many Guns wants the federal government to consider changing the name of Langevin Block to something that would acknowledge the role Langevin played in a system that the commission called cultural genocide.

“I think it’s time for moving beyond this blind commitment to people from the past. If you are going to retain those names, at least put a plaque there that states his perspective.”

The Conservative government, however, doesn’t seem to have much interest in the idea. “There are no plans to rename the Langevin Block,” Public Works and Government Services Minister Diane Finley said in a statement.

Many Guns said the renaming of the 1889 building would be more symbolic because it is the daily workplace of the prime minister.

“I think, because of the relevance to the government, it almost becomes more pertinent, especially given the commitment and (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper’s apology to the residential school people.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report prominently quotes Langevin’s 1883 statement in the House of Commons, in which he said, “In order to educate the children properly, we must separate them from their families. Some people may say that this is hard, but if we want to civilize them, we must do that.”

The Department of Indian Affairs was among the building’s first tenants and remained there until 1965. After renovations in the 1970s, it was used by the PMO and Privy Council Office.