Willing to listen
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is open to hearing concerns about Fort Amherst name change
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is open to discussions on removing a controversial British general’s name from a national park in P.E.I. over concerns being raised by First Nations leaders in Prince Edward Island.
John Joe Sark, a member of the Mi’kmaq Nation traditional government, has been calling for the name of General Jeffery Amherst to be removed from the Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst historic site.
The British military officer advocated for the eradication of indigenous populations and tried to murder local aboriginal people with smallpox blankets.
But Sark’s concerns have fallen on deaf ears. Parks Canada remains adamant about keeping the name, and the province has failed to intervene or advocate for any change.
Sark has returned his Order of P.E.I. medal in protest.
During his visit to Prince Edward Island Thursday, Trudeau said he would be willing to listen to the concerns about the name and work toward reconciliation. “Part of reconciliation is recognizing the terrible mistakes of the past and figuring out how to move forward,” Trudeau told The Guardian.
“While we remember them, we shouldn’t be celebrating those mistakes. I’m open to having discussions in how we can move forward in a way that is respectful.”
Last week, the federal government announced it would strip the Langevin Block building, which houses the prime minister’s and the privy council offices in Ottawa, of its name.
Trudeau said he was doing this out of respect for indigenous peoples, as Sir Hector-Louis Langevin was a proponent of the residential school system.
In P.E.I., Parks Canada referred the request to remove the Fort Amherst name to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC).
This board voted to keep the name in May.
Trudeau said he could not commit on the spot to removing the name, but he did say he would be open to meaningful dialogue on the issue.
“That’s not my decision to make this morning. We have processes, we have consultations, we have a path that I’m serious about taking on reconciliation. But it can’t be topdown from Ottawa, it has to be something we engage with as communities and as partners.”
The prime minister was in Prince Edward Island Thursday to kick off the Canada 150 celebrations and to meet with Islanders.
He started his day with a private meeting with Premier Wade MacLauchlan, where they discussed broadband, clean technology, the Confederation Bridge toll and mental health.
“We have had a good relationship personally in terms of our respective responsibilities, and I find that he (had) an open ear and an open mind,” MacLauchlan said following his meeting with Trudeau.
“He gets Prince Edward Island, which is a very important foundation for our relationship.”
MacLauchlan said his discussions on clean, green technology will likely yield some of the most immediate results with regard to possible new investments and initiatives.
Trudeau also took part in a meet-and-greet in Montague and toured the Canada C3 Expedition ship, which was docked in Charlottetown Thursday.
A gift he received on that tour elicited some surprise tears from the prime minister. He was presented with a wooden carving that was featured in the National Film Board film “Paddle to the Sea”. The filmmaker of this film, Bill Mason, taught Trudeau to paddle.
This marked Trudeau’s second visit to the Island since he took office in 2015.