While Victoria city staff are looking to potentially donate a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald that was removed from the steps of city hall last summer, a committee of city and Indigenous representatives wants the controversial statue to remain within city limits.
The removal of the statue of Canada’s first prime minister sparked protests and counter-protests locally and made headlines nationwide.
The City Family, a reconciliation group consisting of Victoria’s mayor, two city councilors and several Indigenous representatives, say the statue should stay in Victoria, according to the mayor.
“What’s come really clearly from the City Family is that they actually want the statue to be somewhere in the city so that history is not erased,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said Wednesday.
“What happens next is a community dialogue over the course of this year with the public about where is the best place to put the statue, and what do we need to do [to] learn more about reconciliation in Victoria.”
Ontario affirms offer to take statue
In August, the Ontario government of Premier Doug Ford wrote to city officials in Victoria, expressing interest in erecting the statue somewhere in the province.
On Wednesday, Ford reiterated his stance, telling CTV News: “Our offer still stands.”
While Helps cast doubt on that idea, she said nothing is off the table.
“I don’t imagine the statue will go to Toronto,” Helps said. “This is a conversation for our community to have. It was a gift to the City of Victoria.”
Regardless of where the statue is eventually located, Helps said she is hopeful that “a broader story of Sir John A. Macdonald” will be told, including Macdonald’s role in Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples.
The statue was initially removed from city hall at the behest of the City Family, which ruled it served as a barrier to Indigenous reconciliation with the city.
The statue remains in storage until a decision is made on its future.
