Tearing down tributes to historical figures would be “counterproductive” to reconciliation efforts between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, says the former chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Sen. Murray Sinclair, who spent six years documenting the long-standing impacts of Canada’s residential school system, says the debate over whether to remove Sir John A. Macdonald’s name from Ontario elementary schools takes up time that could be better spent exploring how to honour and elevate Indigenous heroes.
“It is not about taking off names off buildings, it is about whether we can find a way to put Indigenous names on buildings,” Sinclair said.
“The problem I have with the overall approach to tearing down statues and buildings is that is counterproductive to ... reconciliation because it almost smacks of revenge or smacks of acts of anger, but in reality, what we are trying to do, is we are trying to create more balance in the relationship.”
Last week, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario passed a motion stating that Macdonald’s name should no longer be displayed on schools in the province because of his support for Indigenous assimilation through the residential school system.
The union urged removing Macdonald’s name, calling him an “architect of genocide against Indigenous Peoples.”
Although Macdonald clearly played a significant role in the establishment of Canada, the establishment of the country also played a significant role in the destruction of Indigenous culture and societies, Sinclair said.
“He clearly attempted to eliminate Indigenous culture by removing children from their families and placing them with people of another race ... for the purpose of wiping out the race of people known as Indian.”
He said Macdonald also created circumstances that fuelled hardship for Indigenous people to the point where their potential to survive was challenged.
