The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will soon be given a new indigenous name, according to the board of the National Capital Commission..The decision came after the unmarked graves were found at a former residential school in British Columbia back in 2021. Following the discovery, three Ottawa city councilors called for the commission to change the parkway's name. The city of Ottawa is located on what was formerly the traditional land of the Algonquins..That same year, a name change was also requested by Chief Dylan Whiteduck of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation and the band council of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation..As Canada's first prime minister, Macdonald enforced policies that forced indigenous people off their land and outlawed many of their ceremonies. Indian agents withheld food from First Nations in order to drive them onto reserves and out of the way of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway..Once they moved onto reservations, many First Nations failed to grow enough food to survive. As a result of the policies, the population of First Nations in the prairies dropped from 32,000 to 20,000 from 1880 to 1885..MacDonald acknowledged the impact his government's policies were having on "savage" First Nations, telling the House of Commons in 1882, “I have reason to believe that the agents as a whole … are doing all they can, by refusing food until the Indians are on the verge of starvation, to reduce the expense.".In August 2022, an advisory committee was created to review the name of the Ottawa parkway. Since then, it has met twice to craft the recommendations that were presented last Thursday. .The board agreed the naming of the parkway will happen in consultation with the Algonquin Nation in an indigenous naming and engagement exercise. That will involve working with elders and other members of the community on the name..In the spring, further workshops and public engagement activities will provide opportunities to exchange information and stories about the area's history..The proposed name will be presented and voted on by the board in June. An unveiling ceremony is planned for Sept. 30, which will coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation..There are several other landmarks in Ottawa named after Canada's first prime minister, such as the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, Sir John A. Macdonald Building, Macdonald-Laurier Institute and Macdonald Gardens..Statues of the late prime minister have become controversial in recent years, in many cases necessitating their removal. In June 2021, statues of Sir John A. Macdonald were removed from a park in Kingston, ON and downtown Charlottetown, PEI..In Queen's Park in Toronto, ON, a statue of the prime minister has been covered for almost two years following repeated vandalizations. .Back in August 2020, protestors vandalized a statue of Sir John A Macdonald located in Montreal, QC. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, QC) condemned the act, saying Canada is a "country of laws."."We are a country that needs to respect those laws, even as we seek to improve and change them, and those kind of acts of vandalism are not advancing the path towards greater justice and equality in this country," Trudeau said.
