The fact that indigenous peoples in the West stipulated that education be provided in their treaties is ignored, as is the fact that Macdonald insisted that residential school attendance be voluntary — and open to girls and boys. (Is the federal government doing much better on that file today, with a far larger bureaucracy and much more money?) There is clearly much room for debate here, but a debate requires two or more sides. At Queen’s, Macdonald has been found guilty of making some students and faculty “uncomfortable.” Accordingly, his name has been stripped from the building of the very school that he helped finance in his hometown. His statues have been taken down by municipal councils (Victoria), vandalized (Toronto, Picton, Hamilton, Castle Kildare) and toppled by a mob in Montreal.

Source: National Post December 29, 2020 12:00 UTC