A historic prairie homestead once dedicated to celebrating 19th-century settlement is now being recast to emphasize “inequities on the Prairies,” including the treatment of indigenous people, according to a new federal management plan tabled in Parliament.Blacklock's Reporter says the plan for the Motherwell National Historic Site calls for a shift away from its traditional focus on European homesteaders toward what Parks Canada describes as “diverse storytelling” and expanded narratives.“The first key of the plan focuses on increasing the diversity of stories presented,” said the Motherwell Homestead Management Plan 2026. “Current expansions in visitor experience beyond the history of European settlement and homesteading are supported by the framework.”Located northeast of Regina in Abernethy, the site commemorates William Motherwell, an 1882 settler who co-founded the Grain Growers Association and later became Saskatchewan’s first agriculture minister in 1906. He went on to serve federally and was long remembered as a “farmer’s champion” before his death in 1943.Designated a national historic site in 1966, the homestead has traditionally highlighted prairie farming life and the role of settlers in building Western Canada. The new plan, however, directs that the site incorporate “diverse perspectives,” including more attention to indigenous experiences and broader social themes..Parks Canada pointed specifically to Motherwell’s second wife, noting her “connection to the difficult history of the Residential School system” through her work as a missionary teacher. The agency also emphasized that the property sits on Treaty 4 land and within the traditional homeland of the Métis.The management plan states the site “is beginning to tell broader stories of life and inequities on the Prairies for all including for indigenous peoples and newcomers to Canada,” though it offers few concrete examples of how exhibits will change.The shift is part of a broader federal effort to revisit historic designations through a modern lens. A 2019 directive instructed agencies to confront legacies of “colonialism, patriarchy and racism” in national commemorations.“There is a need to be cognizant of, and to confront, these legacies,” said the federal Framework For History And Commemoration, describing the process as part of “truth-telling and reconciliation.”That directive has opened the door to widespread re-evaluation of historic sites across the country. .In a separate 2019 report, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board wrote that “nothing can be immune from review” and that “every designation can be re-evaluated.”Numerous landmarks have since been flagged for reassessment due to what officials described as “colonial assumptions,” including the Halifax Citadel, Bar U Ranch and Algonquin Provincial Park.Critics argue the changes amount to historical revisionism that downplays the achievements of early settlers, while supporters say the updates are necessary to present a fuller account of Canada’s past. The debate is likely to intensify as more federally designated sites undergo similar review.
