A federal heritage board has quietly ruled against placing any new historic plaques to commemorate Sir John A. Macdonald, citing his legacy as too divisive and controversial.Blacklock's Reporter says the decision, made in a closed-door meeting on December 12, 2023, was disclosed through Access To Information but never publicly announced. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board concluded Macdonald should instead be recognized through online information on the Parks Canada website.Macdonald, declared a nationally historic person in 1927, was Canada’s first prime minister and credited with helping to found the country. .However, the board’s revised commemoration statement sharply criticized his role in oppressive policies toward indigenous people and Chinese immigrants. It cited his leadership in establishing the residential school system, using starvation to force First Nations onto reserves, and supporting laws that disenfranchised and excluded Chinese immigrants.“He has long held a prominent but contested place within public memory,” the board stated, calling his legacy “complex” and a subject of “polarizing national debate.” Members also noted the broader reckoning with colonialism underway in many Western countries..The board ultimately determined that erecting a new plaque for Macdonald would not be appropriate, especially in light of recent removals of statues and the renaming of public buildings across Canada. It concluded Macdonald was already commemorated adequately through his gravesite and other existing markers.Among those involved in the discussion were senior Parks Canada officials, Library and Archives Canada’s chief librarian Leslie Weir, and Canadian War Museum chief historian Tim Cook.The ruling follows a 2019 federal directive requiring the Board to revisit all 2,200 designations it has approved since 1919. The updated Framework For History And Commemoration emphasized including public input and confronting the legacies of colonialism, racism and patriarchy in historical narratives.Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has opposed efforts to downplay Macdonald’s contributions. “We should honour our first prime minister John A. Macdonald without whom we would not have a Canada today,” he said on March 17. “His vision of an East-West nation is really now more than ever needed.”
