BC Proud has organized a rally in protest of the removal of the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald from the front steps of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 City Hall.
The decision to remove the statue was made in June 2017 through the CityB次元官网网址檚 Witness Reconciliation Program and City Family, but the removal date was only announced on Wednesday, resulting in push back from citizens who felt more discussion was necessary.
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B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e upset,B次元官网网址� said Aaron Gunn, spokesperson for BC Proud, an online advocacy group. B次元官网网址淸Mayor] Helps, instead of consulting the public, is erasing CanadaB次元官网网址檚 and VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 history instead of leaving it alone and learning from it.B次元官网网址�
The statue is being removed due to MacdonaldB次元官网网址檚 controversial legacy. While he acted as a Victoria MP, and CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first Prime Minister, he was also the Minister of Indian Affairs during CanadaB次元官网网址檚 implementation of residential schools.
The City Family felt it didnB次元官网网址檛 want people visiting City Hall to have to walk past a statue that was potentially associated with trauma.
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For Gunn, removing the statue is a way of turning a blind eye to MacdonaldB次元官网网址檚 wrongdoings.
B次元官网网址淚f itB次元官网网址檚 unseen, it stops us from learning from history, celebrating achievements and acknowledging our mistakes,B次元官网网址� Gunn said. B次元官网网址淰ictoria is steeped in history, where do we go from here? Do we change the name of the City because itB次元官网网址檚 named after a colonial queen? Do we change the name of the province?B次元官网网址�
The statue is scheduled to be removed at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, but the rally isnB次元官网网址檛 scheduled until 12:00 p.m.
B次元官网网址淚f the statue is gone by the time we get there, it just compounds our message,B次元官网网址� Gunn Said. B次元官网网址淭his is very much the beginning of the battle to save this statue.B次元官网网址�
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