Half of Canadians asked in a new survey say they are opposed to protesters tearing down statues of controversial historical figures..The Leger poll with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) found only 31 per cent of Canadians supported the removal of statues while 50 per cent said they were against it..And a total of 45 per cent believe the protests calling for an end to racial inequality will not lead to meaningful change..Nearly half of Canadians are also opposed to renaming streets and buildings that currently have controversial monikers..A total of 47 per cent of Canadians were against renaming while 34 per cent were for it. A total of 19 per cent had no opinion or didn’t answer..A statue of Canada’s first prime minister, John A. Macdonald in Montreal was toppled and decapitated in Montreal last month by protesters who were marching to defund the police.. Canadians oppose historical statues being torn down by protestersToppled Macdonald statue in Montreal .During his time as prime minister, Macdonald’s government brought in the Indian Act and set up the residential school system..The destruction outraged Alberta premier Jason Kenney who said if the people of Montreal didn’t want the statue he would take it and erect in in the gardens of the Alberta legislature..“A mob has torn down and defaced the statue of Sir John A Macdonald in Montreal. This vandalism of our history and heroes must stop. As his biographer Richard Gwyn wrote, ‘no Macdonald, no Canada.’ Both Macdonald & the country he created were flawed but still great,” Kenney tweeted at the time..“Many of those on the extreme left responsible for this kind of violence claim that Canada is an illegitimate state, all the while enjoying Canada’s rights, freedoms, privileges & prosperity. None of those things were created by accident. They come from the vision & sacrifice of those who went before us, particularly Macdonald himself..“He was an immigrant who suffered unimaginable personal trauma throughout his life, which he overcame to forge an enormous country out of divided factions. It’s right to debate his legacy and life. But it is wrong to allow roving bands of thugs to vandalize our history with impunity.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“If the City of Montreal decides not to restore Wade’s statue of Macdonald to where it has stood for 125 years, we would be happy to receive it for installation on the grounds of Alberta’s Legislature.”.That prompted an Indigenous leader to tell Kenny not so fast..“Treaty 6 Chiefs absolutely do NOT support bringing a John A. McDonald statue from Quebec to Treaty 6 Territory,” said Confederacy of Treaty 6 Grand Chief William Morin..“I agree history cannot be changed, I agree John A. Macdonald was a foundational part of Canadian history, but given our current work in reconciliation, the focus today should be on that work which was started by the TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission], and this Quebec statue of John A. Macdonald is a distraction to that important work.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
Half of Canadians asked in a new survey say they are opposed to protesters tearing down statues of controversial historical figures..The Leger poll with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) found only 31 per cent of Canadians supported the removal of statues while 50 per cent said they were against it..And a total of 45 per cent believe the protests calling for an end to racial inequality will not lead to meaningful change..Nearly half of Canadians are also opposed to renaming streets and buildings that currently have controversial monikers..A total of 47 per cent of Canadians were against renaming while 34 per cent were for it. A total of 19 per cent had no opinion or didn’t answer..A statue of Canada’s first prime minister, John A. Macdonald in Montreal was toppled and decapitated in Montreal last month by protesters who were marching to defund the police.. Canadians oppose historical statues being torn down by protestersToppled Macdonald statue in Montreal .During his time as prime minister, Macdonald’s government brought in the Indian Act and set up the residential school system..The destruction outraged Alberta premier Jason Kenney who said if the people of Montreal didn’t want the statue he would take it and erect in in the gardens of the Alberta legislature..“A mob has torn down and defaced the statue of Sir John A Macdonald in Montreal. This vandalism of our history and heroes must stop. As his biographer Richard Gwyn wrote, ‘no Macdonald, no Canada.’ Both Macdonald & the country he created were flawed but still great,” Kenney tweeted at the time..“Many of those on the extreme left responsible for this kind of violence claim that Canada is an illegitimate state, all the while enjoying Canada’s rights, freedoms, privileges & prosperity. None of those things were created by accident. They come from the vision & sacrifice of those who went before us, particularly Macdonald himself..“He was an immigrant who suffered unimaginable personal trauma throughout his life, which he overcame to forge an enormous country out of divided factions. It’s right to debate his legacy and life. But it is wrong to allow roving bands of thugs to vandalize our history with impunity.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“If the City of Montreal decides not to restore Wade’s statue of Macdonald to where it has stood for 125 years, we would be happy to receive it for installation on the grounds of Alberta’s Legislature.”.That prompted an Indigenous leader to tell Kenny not so fast..“Treaty 6 Chiefs absolutely do NOT support bringing a John A. McDonald statue from Quebec to Treaty 6 Territory,” said Confederacy of Treaty 6 Grand Chief William Morin..“I agree history cannot be changed, I agree John A. Macdonald was a foundational part of Canadian history, but given our current work in reconciliation, the focus today should be on that work which was started by the TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission], and this Quebec statue of John A. Macdonald is a distraction to that important work.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
