Coderre clarifies Sir John A. Macdonald statue comments
Posted October 5, 2021 3:12 pm.
Last Updated October 5, 2021 3:20 pm.
MONTREAL (CityNews) ─ Montreal mayoral candidate Denis Coderre has clarified a statement he made about the Sir John A. Macdonald statue last week.
On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation last Thursday, the Ensemble Montreal leader said he would put back the Macdonald statue that was toppled by protesters in 2020 at Place du Canada.
He also said he wanted to rename the downtown park “Place de la reconciliation,” saying it would be a place for reflection and healing.
Credit: CITYNEWS/Martin Daigle
On Monday, at an event hosted by Culture Montréal, Coderre explained that he would not propose putting the statue back in the same elevated spot, but place it within a redesigned square.
He admitted that he hadn’t consulted with anyone on the idea, but questioned if there is a way to remember a person without celebrating them, such as being used as a tool for learning.
READ MORE:
- Trudeau calls out vandals who toppled Montreal’s Macdonald statue (Aug. 31, 2020)
- Canadians reluctant to remove statues of historical figures now seen as racist: Poll (Sept. 9, 202)
Incumbent Mayor Valérie Plante said “the first principle of reconciliation is to stop deciding what is good for Indigenous people.
“It demonstrates a paternalism that Indigenous people have had enough of.”
WATCH: The aftermath of the toppling of John A. Macdonald’s statue (Aug. 31, 2020)
