Boards around Sir John A. Macdonald statue at Queen’s Park removed

After five years, the boards surrounding the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald on the grounds of Queen’s Park in Toronto have been removed.

The hoarding was first erected after the statue of Macdonald was covered in paint during a protest in 2020. Other similar incidents were occurring across the country at the time.

MacDonald’s role in the creation of residential schools, where thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly placed, abused and even died, sparked protests and calls for the removal of similar statues in 2020.

Meanwhile, a number of schools across the province have also been renamed over the past several years.

MacDonald, who was the first prime minister of Canada, is also credited as the father of confederation.

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The decision to remove the boards around the statue was made last month by the Legislative Assembly’s Board of Internal Economy.

However, when asked about the move last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was pushing for it.

“I’ve been working on getting that box taken off,” he explained. “We’re getting a lot of messages, so yeah, we’re freeing John A.”

The premier said it is time to move past the issue.

“You have to support our first prime minister. You know, things have happened over a number of years, but we can’t just box them up,” Ford said. “We have to move on, stop worrying about the past, let’s start looking at the future.”

A sign has been installed beside the statue, which says the legislature is a place for debate and deliberation.

“Though we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind,” the sign continues. “The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is considering how the depictions of those histories in the monuments and statuary on the Assembly’s grounds can respect all of our diverse cultures and peoples.”

A release from the Office of the Speaker of the House said it has sent a committee across the province to meet with Indigenous representatives to look for ways to acknowledge First Nations Peoples at Queen’s Park.

Since the statue was boarded up, children’s shoes have been left in front to denote the lives lost as a result of residential schools.

There was a similar protest in front of the legislature in 2021, which saw the shoes eventually removed before being turned into a permanent display, according to the release.

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