Hanes: Exploring Creative Solutions to the John A. Macdonald Statue Problem

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Ever since a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was toppled, vandalized and beheaded during a protest against racial injustice in the summer of 2020, a great debate has arisen over what to do with the bronze of the country’s first prime minister, which is now remembered. both as the author of a cultural genocide against indigenous peoples and the father of the Confederation.

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The question even became a problem in Montreal’s mayoral elections when failed candidate Denis Coderre called for Macdonald to be returned to the Place du Canada, albeit with qualifications about his responsibility in the residential schools established under his supervision.

Others argue that Macdonald should face the same fate as General Jeffrey Amherst, whose name was stripped from a downtown street for his crimes against Native Americans and forgotten.

Returning mayor Valérie Plante condemned Macdonald’s desecration the moment he was taken down, but has not been quick to reinstall him on his ornate podium.

Retired Concordia University history professor Ronald Rudin believes Montreal should be more creative in its approach to this thorny issue.

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After more than a year of informally discussing the topic with heritage experts, artists, researchers and other academics, Rudin is among the organizers of a design charrette organized by the Canadian Center for Architecture which aims to revive the main piece of public space that Macdonald occupied for 126 years.

Several teams made up of young professionals and students tried it over the weekend. Their submissions, which are due on Monday, will be reviewed by a jury during the course of the week and the winners will be revealed at an online event on Friday.

The contest challenged participants to find new ways to respond to Macdonald’s complicated legacy, as well as to address contemporary issues of racism, injustice and reconciliation with indigenous peoples. But they were also asked to present concepts that are temporary.

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“They could be projections on the physical structure. … It could be something placed where Macdonald was, ”Rudin said. “We could have different groups of people in society, more voices could be heard. And we would recognize that the way we understand the past is not fixed. Part of the problem is that when you have permanent structures, it suggests that the way we understand history is permanent and that it lasts forever and never changes. “

It may seem unusual for a history teacher, but Rudin questions the very notion of building fixed monuments, hoping to provoke a broader reflection on who society chooses to remember and how.

“Every day all the people who did amazing things but who did not have the power or the influence to be represented in the public space are erased. I think we show a certain lack of imagination, “he said. “If we see things differently, does it really make sense to have structures that cannot change? For me, it’s less about Macdonald per se and more about what we do to remember the past. People shouldn’t be surprised that we discover new things about people. And consequently, if we continue to build permanent structures, it somehow eliminates the possibility of changing the way we present the past. “

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Most of those honored by a street name or statue have tended to be white men, and there are an inordinate number of politicians commemorated. That’s gradually changing as Montreal looks to put more women on the map (with parks named after community organizer Lucia Kowaluk and singer Lhasa de Sela) and recognize their diversity (with plans for a large public square honoring the great jazz Oscar Peterson).

Rudin said there are erroneous assumptions that Macdonald deserves to be returned to where he was because he was there for so long, and that he was put there in the first place due to popular demand.

“It’s not like there was a referendum and people were asked if they wanted a Macdonald memorial,” he said. “In fact, that monument was erected a few years after his death. It died in 1891 and was installed in 1895, built by close friends and associates who had enough power … to be able to secure a privileged public space and raise funds to do it. “

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Simply adding more information to contextualize Macdonald’s past sins – including approving the execution of mongrel leader Louis Riel and imposing a head tax on Chinese immigrants – would not only be ineffective, Rudin said, but a missed opportunity. to do something new and exciting. .

London was able to create buzz around what is commonly called the Fourth Plinth, he said, a pedestal in Trafalgar Square originally intended to remind the greats of the British Empire that it was long empty due to funding problems. Eventually, it became the site of a rotating series of art exhibits, drawing great interest and legions of visitors.

“I keep thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could use our imaginations and think about the past differently and use that space to temporarily hear different voices and do it in rotation?’” He said. “We may like some, we may not like others, but they will always change. If you don’t like one, wait. “

The CCA competition is an independent exercise, so there is no guarantee that the City of Montreal will comply with any of the proposals it generates.

But Rudin joked: “One can dream.”

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