John A. Macdonald Legacy Review

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• Learn Vicariously

  by ProudlyCanadian?, almost 5 years ago

  We can learn tremendous values and lessons from those who have tread before us. It’s very easy to say, “that’s not what I would have done.” Prove it and leave your mark on today so you can best shape tomorrow without sacrificing yesterday. Protect and teach history so we know why we are great today. What can we achieve tomorrow?

  L

  We can learn tremendous values and lessons from those who have tread before us. It’s very easy to say, “that’s not what I would have done.” Prove it and leave your mark on today so you can best shape tomorrow without sacrificing yesterday. Protect and teach history so we know why we are great today. What can we achieve tomorrow?

  L

• Don't Shoot The Messenger

  by The Rest of the Story, almost 5 years ago

  A truly objective analysis of this chapter in Canada’s history would reveal that Canadians should be proud – not ashamed – that, under the leadership of Sir John A. MacDonald the government set the wheels in motion to pull Canada’s aboriginals out of the Stone Age into the Modern Age, bypassing the Bronze and Iron Ages in the process. In other parts of the world, this process took tens of thousands of years, but in Canada, it only took about 200 years.

  There is no doubt that, as a consequence of millions of impoverished homesteaders flocking to Canada seeking a... Continue reading

  A truly objective analysis of this chapter in Canada’s history would reveal that Canadians should be proud – not ashamed – that, under the leadership of Sir John A. MacDonald the government set the wheels in motion to pull Canada’s aboriginals out of the Stone Age into the Modern Age, bypassing the Bronze and Iron Ages in the process. In other parts of the world, this process took tens of thousands of years, but in Canada, it only took about 200 years.

  There is no doubt that, as a consequence of millions of impoverished homesteaders flocking to Canada seeking a better life, there was an inevitable clash of cultures with the indigenous inhabitants. To deal with the problems caused by this clash of cultures, which included frequent violent confrontations, the government of John A. MacDonald had only two realistic choices: either eliminate the problem completely (similar to the American strategy), or try help the aboriginals integrate by teaching them the skills they would need to survive and become equal participants in the new Canadian society. The Residential School option was clearly the most humane one.

  Anyone with an open mind should consider this: if the Residential School system had not been established, the aboriginals (especially those who refused to move to reserves, despite agreeing to do so in the Treaties) would have been left to fend for themselves with no mechanism to teach them the skills they would need to survive in the new Canadian society, and they would ultimately have vanished.

  When one peels off the thin veneer of the “victim” narrative, it becomes increasingly clear that the people who so are so eager to use the term “genocide”, and so loudly condemn anyone who suggests that some good did indeed come out of the Residential School program, are the ones who benefit financially - including the countless thousands of lawyers, consultants, employees at all three levels of government, and opportunistic politicians (including many Indian Chiefs). Most of those people are making a very good living by keeping Canada’s aboriginals perpetually dependent on government handouts, in the what is often referred to as “the aboriginal industry”. Add, to the mix, the bevy of gullible journalists who have bought in to the narrative, and you have a well-oiled propaganda machine. When only one side of a story is told, that’s propaganda – not necessarily the truth. Adolph Hitler and Josef Goebbels would have been proud.

  To anyone who takes the time to do the research, it will become clear that the transition of Canada’s aboriginals from the Stone age to the Modern Age was more of a success than a failure. Until this is acknowledged by both sides of the debate, there cannot be any true “reconciliation”.

• No thanks

  by D, almost 5 years ago
  This man is the 1st PM of this fine country and did what needed to be done to build the country as one, he brought through the railroad to cap it off, removing his statue is wrong and shouldn't be done. The times were different then and you can NOT change history no matter how hard you try, Cancel culture does nothing but cause arguments and nothing will ever be settled, its time to except what we have and move on.

  This man is the 1st PM of this fine country and did what needed to be done to build the country as one, he brought through the railroad to cap it off, removing his statue is wrong and shouldn't be done. The times were different then and you can NOT change history no matter how hard you try, Cancel culture does nothing but cause arguments and nothing will ever be settled, its time to except what we have and move on.

• In the name of victimhood.

  by Water bearer, almost 5 years ago
  As the article describing the statue states, John A was put up to commemorate 100 years of Canada. Why does the statues location need to change? What is going to be put in his place? Maybe another statue dedicated in gratitude that the next generation will look back on in disgust. Wouldnt it be far more productive to add to the park instead of take away? Put up another statue alongside Sir John that depicts what the perpetual victims need so they dont get emotional in the park. Adding is fine, replacing is an insult.

  As the article describing the statue states, John A was put up to commemorate 100 years of Canada. Why does the statues location need to change? What is going to be put in his place? Maybe another statue dedicated in gratitude that the next generation will look back on in disgust. Wouldnt it be far more productive to add to the park instead of take away? Put up another statue alongside Sir John that depicts what the perpetual victims need so they dont get emotional in the park. Adding is fine, replacing is an insult.

• The Statue should be returned to its original location

  by M.M.J Anguish, almost 5 years ago

  Removing the statue in my view is an act of profound ingratitude, because the fact of the matter is without MacDonald none of you would enjoy all the benefits of living in Canada today, which it cannot be denied simply outweigh the downsides of living in Canada. You are also removing his statue due to a consistent campaign of what can only be described as a campaign of defamation against our first Prime Minister, which takes him completely out of the context of his time and is throughly refuted in this article attached here: https://c2cjournal.ca/2020/11/sir-john-a-macdonald-saved-more-native-lives-than-any-other-prime-minister/

  Removing the statue in my view is an act of profound ingratitude, because the fact of the matter is without MacDonald none of you would enjoy all the benefits of living in Canada today, which it cannot be denied simply outweigh the downsides of living in Canada. You are also removing his statue due to a consistent campaign of what can only be described as a campaign of defamation against our first Prime Minister, which takes him completely out of the context of his time and is throughly refuted in this article attached here: https://c2cjournal.ca/2020/11/sir-john-a-macdonald-saved-more-native-lives-than-any-other-prime-minister/

• Everyone has a backstory, good or bad

  by Jaydubbya , almost 5 years ago

  We all think we know history, as some was taught and some was lived through; however, there are always 2 sides of every story. This is a little something I bet most didn’t know. While he presided over mass die-offs of Plains First Nations, he also proposed giving aboriginals the vote more than 70 years before it actually occurred in 1960. Macdonald gets much of the heat for a national policy that would have profoundly negative impacts on First Nations, and he was at the helm when thousands of prairie aboriginals succumbed to disease and starvation. But in 1885 he... Continue reading

  We all think we know history, as some was taught and some was lived through; however, there are always 2 sides of every story. This is a little something I bet most didn’t know. While he presided over mass die-offs of Plains First Nations, he also proposed giving aboriginals the vote more than 70 years before it actually occurred in 1960. Macdonald gets much of the heat for a national policy that would have profoundly negative impacts on First Nations, and he was at the helm when thousands of prairie aboriginals succumbed to disease and starvation. But in 1885 he attempted to pass a bill that would have given Indians the vote. As Macdonald outlined in an 1885 letter to Ojbwa chief Peter Edmund Jones, he said he supported placing Indians on “a footing of equality with the white brethren.”

• Leaders responsible for genocide should not be commemorated

  by fb, almost 5 years ago
  The fact is, John A Macdonald's history is NOT being taught. If the true horrors he is responsible for were taught widely, this would not be a discussion. Would we allow a statute of Hitler to remain because "it is a part of history". Absolutely not. Those that think this is cancel culture are just defending a time when racism was acceptable. Being the first Prime Minister and being linked to things we are taught are highlights of Canadian history, DOES NOT negate the entrenching of racism, erasure of culture and MURDER of children. TAKE IT DOWN.

  The fact is, John A Macdonald's history is NOT being taught. If the true horrors he is responsible for were taught widely, this would not be a discussion. Would we allow a statute of Hitler to remain because "it is a part of history". Absolutely not. Those that think this is cancel culture are just defending a time when racism was acceptable. Being the first Prime Minister and being linked to things we are taught are highlights of Canadian history, DOES NOT negate the entrenching of racism, erasure of culture and MURDER of children. TAKE IT DOWN.

• A legacy of racist rhetoric and colonial dominance

  by jlye, almost 5 years ago

  The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 was implemented under John A. Macdonald the same year that the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, six years ahead of schedule, thanks to the 17,000 Chinese laborers who were brought into Canada by none other than... John A. Macdonald. The Act introduced a head tax that was meant to restrict further Chinese immigration into Canada. By 1923, the government of Canada had already collected over $33 million in head tax.

  The 1885 Act was the first piece of legislation in Canada's history to exclude immigrants on the basis of their ethnic origin. The 1885... Continue reading

  The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 was implemented under John A. Macdonald the same year that the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, six years ahead of schedule, thanks to the 17,000 Chinese laborers who were brought into Canada by none other than... John A. Macdonald. The Act introduced a head tax that was meant to restrict further Chinese immigration into Canada. By 1923, the government of Canada had already collected over $33 million in head tax.

  The 1885 Act was the first piece of legislation in Canada's history to exclude immigrants on the basis of their ethnic origin. The 1885 Act was a key moment in forming the racist state in Canada. John A. Macdonald also gained support in Parliament for an electoral franchise act that explicitly excluded Chinese-Canadians from the right to vote based on the grounds that they were biologically different from “Canadians”.

  I hope Regina residents will reflect on the pain, suffering, and humiliation his legacy left on Indigenous and Metis people, Chinese-Canadians, and other disenfranchised minority groups in this country. John A. MacDonald's vision for Canada did not include people like me or my family and THAT is the message I am reminded of when I see his statue. It is impossible to "delete" John A. MacDonald - his legacy lives on.

  To quote Dr. Tim Stanley, if John A. Macdonald must be remembered, it should be for the use of "a biologically defined Canadian white supremacy as an organizing principle of the founding of the state".

• Good, bad or indifferent history cannot be erased -- so why try -- learn from it instead!

  by Beaver, almost 5 years ago
  The statue was put in Victoria Park for a reason at the time - and it was not to celebrate the bad but to acknowledge the important role Sir John A MacDonald's leadership played in the development of our country and the better qualify of life we all enjoy now. With hindsight mistakes were made as much history around the world shows?

  I'm not an indigenous descendant but am a descendant of Canadian born parents of Eastern European descent and had verbal discrimination in job interviews due to my surname.

  Our country and people's attitudes have come a long way... Continue reading

  The statue was put in Victoria Park for a reason at the time - and it was not to celebrate the bad but to acknowledge the important role Sir John A MacDonald's leadership played in the development of our country and the better qualify of life we all enjoy now. With hindsight mistakes were made as much history around the world shows?

  I'm not an indigenous descendant but am a descendant of Canadian born parents of Eastern European descent and had verbal discrimination in job interviews due to my surname.

  Our country and people's attitudes have come a long way from Sir John A. MacDonald's time and must continue but it is not accomplished by hiding statues. Victoria Park is an appropriate place for Sir John A. MaDonald statue due to the proximity of original federal buildings (Federal Building at corner of Victoria and Scarth St., the Old Post Office building, etc.). If it must be moved it should go to an appropriate place like Government House, RCMP property, or other such place where it can be appreciated by tourists and others who are interested in the history of statues.

• Intergenerational Trauma

  by INDG, almost 5 years ago

  What does John A. Macdonald have to do with intergenerational trauma, you may ask but the reality is he had a big part in the effects of what Indigenous people today are going through.

  For those of you who don't know, intergenerational trauma is defined as trauma that is passed on from one generation to the next. While residential schools were not the start of intergenerational trauma, they play a large part in what is felt today.

  My parents are residential school survivors, as were their parents and their parents before them as well. I've heard intense stories of abuse... Continue reading

  What does John A. Macdonald have to do with intergenerational trauma, you may ask but the reality is he had a big part in the effects of what Indigenous people today are going through.

  For those of you who don't know, intergenerational trauma is defined as trauma that is passed on from one generation to the next. While residential schools were not the start of intergenerational trauma, they play a large part in what is felt today.

  My parents are residential school survivors, as were their parents and their parents before them as well. I've heard intense stories of abuse suffered by my parents and grandparents at the hands of priests and nuns at these institutions. My grandmother used to be fluent in her traditional language, which is Cree, but it was literally beat out of her at residential schools. If she spoke anything that wasn't English or French, she was hit or abused in some way either mentally or physically. The culture that is shared between many Indigenous people, was ripped away and many Indigenous people today will never know their culture or practices.

  Residential schools were created in the late 1800s but were made mandatory in 1920, meaning Indigenous children were physically taken from their homes with their parents and put into these strange environments. If they did their traditional ceremonies, they were beat. I'd like you to imagine that for a second: Your child is taken away from you and when they try to pray to come back home, they are beaten and told that their God is not the right God and are forced to adhere to a different religion.

  That is the reality many Indigenous people faced.

  Physical abuse eventually stopped in residential schools, but what happened when these abused children became parents? My personal story isn't unique as a lot of Indigenous people have felt the same thing I'm going to explain. My grandparents on my mom's side did not know how to properly discipline their six children as they themselves had been beaten if they stepped out of line. My mother and father were both hit in their respective homes if they ever behaved badly, my mom told me that sometimes she was beaten just for looking at my grandmother the wrong way. My dad didn't attend residential school for his entire life, but he did for a portion of his life until he ran away from the school when he was a teenager. My mom has a similar story.

  My parents promised themselves that they would never physically hurt us as they hated being abused when they were children, they kept that promise. What did follow was trauma my parents faced from their parents and residential schools that they didn't know how to cope with, so they turned to drinking.

  My parents were both alcoholics and in turn were neglectful. I am 26 now and I suffer from the direct effects of intergenerational trauma. I had a drinking problem (am now three years sober) as well as many mental health issues that have altered my life in drastic ways. I am confident that if residential schools were never invented my everyday suffering would be less.

  I'm not going to bore you with the details of my life but I am not a healthy person. I have to use both hands to count the amount of times I have tried to commit suicide and once I got so close that I was in a coma for three days. It doesn't help that I personally feel failed by the education system and health system as there is systemic racism engrained in both, but that's a whole other story.

  What does this have to do with Sir John A. Macdonald? John A. Macdonald authorized the creation of residential schools and has said the following:

  “When the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write his habits, and training and mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write. It has been strongly pressed on myself, as the head of the Department, that the Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.” — Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, Official report of the debates of the House of Commons of the Dominion of Canada, 9 May 1883, 1107–1108 (Source)

  John A. Macdonald thought that Indigenous children should be ripped away from their homes and cultures and adopt the thoughts and habits of white people. He wanted to take the Indian out of every child. He put in place racist policies and played a massive part in colonizing Canada.

  If the City of Regina truly wants to take a step towards reconciliation, they will stick to their word about removing the statue from Victoria Park.