After nearly five years hidden behind plywood, a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald at the edge of Queen’s Park is back in the open air.
Hoarding and scaffolding that had surrounded the likeness of Canada’s first prime minister was removed starting Wednesday morning.
The statue had been covered since it was splashed with bright pink paint in July 2020 in a summer of protests following the murder of George Floyd, and as Canadians came to terms with history of residential schools.
Across the country, statues of Macdonald—who is considered an architect of the residential school system—became the targets of vandalism.
Last month, a committee that has been mulling over what to do with the Macdonald statue at the Ontario legislature voted to clean the statue and remove its covering.
The effigy has received a new protective coating to keep paint from sticking and will be under watch by legislative security.
A plaque has been erected behind the statue with the same messaging that had been nailed to the hoarding.
The message posits that, “…we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind.”
It also explains that the Speaker is considering how “depictions of those histories in the monuments and statuary on the Assembly’s grounds can respect all of our diverse cultures and peoples.”
Speaker Donna Skelly acknowledged Wednesday that Macdonald is a controversial figure and that the pain from residential schools remains raw.
“It’s a part of history that we acknowledge, but we can’t change that. What we can change is how we work with and reflect the roles of Indigenous peoples on the grounds of Queen’s Park.”
Skelly says consultations with Indigenous people will continue, in search of a way to reflect the hurt caused by residential schools while celebrating the contributions Indigenous communities have made.
There is no timeline to come to a consensus.
At an unrelated event Wednesday, Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones welcomed the unveiling.
“I think it’s frankly an exciting day to be reminded and acknowledge our history. And yes, history good and bad,” Jones said.
Speaking last month about the decision to unbox Macdonald, the eyes of Ontario’s only First Nations MPP and a survivor of a residential school filled with tears.
“It’s not just a statue,” Sol Mamakwa said. “It’s a statue of oppression. It is a statue of colonialism.”
Mamawka was not available for an interview Wednesday but noted on Instagram the statue’s uncovering lands during Indigenous History month and on the heels of the passage of Bill 5.
The New Democrat MPP has predicted the statue will be vandalized again.
Skelly says she welcomes protests and sharing of concerns.
“But, we have to do it peacefully, and we have to do it respectfully, and we have to do it within the law.”
She adds that if laws are broken, there will be consequences.
