WATCH: Over the weekend, the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was removed from Victoria City Hall and replaced by an interpretive panel. As Calvin To tells us, some people seem to have expressed their disapproval through vandalism.
An interpretive panel that replaced a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald has been replaced after it was vandalized over the weekend.
The panel describes Macdonald as both the first prime minister of Canada and as a leader of violence against Indigenous peoples.
Victoria police say they have not received a report about the vandalism incident and are calling for calm.
“I know that people are upset and frustrated. That’s okay,” said Victoria police spokesperson Bowen Osoko. “But there are many ways to express that. And the constructive way is through dialogue.”
Meanwhile, there is no deadline for a decision on the fate of the statue.
Coun. Marianne Alto, a member of the City Family group that recommended the statue be removed, said they will be meeting in the coming weeks and that the process is intended to reflect the traditional Indigenous ways in which decisions are considered.
Coun. Margaret Lucas, who voted for the statue to be removed, said she hopes it will serve as an education tool.
“I don’t know if it necessarily has to be outside, but to me, we have a world class museum, and there might be a place for it there,” Lucas said.
On Monday, the Ontario government offered to take the statue.
Ontario Conservative house leader Todd Smith wrote in a letter to mayor Lisa Helps, “Our government does not believe his memory and legacy should collect dust in a storage facility.”
But the mayor’s office said the city does not plan on selling it or giving it away.
Calvin To
