There is no place for that statue in our city

As a non-Indigenous Canadian, I share the belief that there is no place for the statue of John A. MacDonald in Victoria Park, or in our city. I can appreciate that he was a founder of this country, but the heft of his legacy -- and this country's -- is colonialism. I am done hearing the tired arguments about this being "our history" and the "past is the past." Shamefully, colonialism is not in the past for the Indigenous peoples on this land: it is their present reality. We are so far from being where we need to be in this regard. As such, I see no need to continue to highlight the painful actions of this man, no matter how "important" he is to the founding of this country. We cannot except the horrible things he has done from his legacy in order to uphold some narrative about the greatness of our country. Grappling with this legacy and making meaningful change begins with listening to our Indigenous peoples of this land and showing them this first and most basic respect.