A protest occurred outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre (CBE) on Tuesday calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school..And the Reconciliation Action Group also called for the removal of "Chief," the mascot of John G. Diefenbaker High School.."We respect the right of local school boards to make their own decisions about how they do their naming," Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on Tuesday.."This is part of the problem that we have right now is that not all of our prime ministers were perfect people. And I think that being able to have a discussion historically about the rights and the wrongs is an important discussion to have but as for the issue of naming we do leave that to the CBE what their ultimate decision is there.".Smith said Macdonald is a part of Canadian history.."I do get concerned about erasing portions of our history," said Smith.."Because I do think it's important that we understand some of the wrongs that all of our prime ministers did. We have to look things squarely in the eye when things that we wouldn't approve of today and we have to be willing to talk about it. I think that the cancellation of some of these historical figures works against that. We should have these long conversations and we should be able to address the issues of the past.".Smith said Canada has prime ministers that have been named on buildings and airports all over this country despite some disagreement.."I guess that's the question that we have to ask ourselves is are we going to be cancelling all of them because of mistakes that they made, I think it is a broader conversation that we need to have," Smith said.."I think this particular case of this particular school, as I said we agree with local control and local decision making and it will be a decision of the Calgary Board of Education."."I understand that CBE is going through a process on this and we'll have to see what they turn up with at the local level," Smith said..In 2022, the school board passed a motion to form a committee to review the current name of the junior high school.."They've had years to make these changes that they say that they're committed to, but they've yet to show us in action that they are committed to these values and principles," Jessica Salkeld with the Reconciliation Action Group told CTV News.."Sir John A. Macdonald was the architect of genocide against indigenous peoples, so it's really important that we set an example for our children and our students that we don't glorify this person and set him as the standard of who we want to be in society, and what our values are.".Macdonald was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of the Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that spanned almost half a century..Some people in Canada claim he was the champion of residential schools and whose government starved indigenous people to expand railways.
