"Holding Court" John A. Macdonald Statue

Tell us what the Holding Court statue means to you?

• Share Disrespectful and misleading on Facebook Share Disrespectful and misleading on Twitter Share Disrespectful and misleading on Linkedin Email Disrespectful and misleading link

  Disrespectful and misleading

  by Golshan Abdmoulaie, over 5 years ago

  The legislative course that this man took against Indigenous people of this land is horrendous. This statue is a major dishonor and disrespect to all of us, in particular to Indigenous folks. It is time we start telling the truth about history, If we humans do not start facing our violent past we cannot evolve into a peaceful future.

  The legislative course that this man took against Indigenous people of this land is horrendous. This statue is a major dishonor and disrespect to all of us, in particular to Indigenous folks. It is time we start telling the truth about history, If we humans do not start facing our violent past we cannot evolve into a peaceful future.
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  In todays world

  by Diane Denyes-Wenn, over 5 years ago
  This statue does not give me pleasure or pain, unlike others who have suffered by the action of our first prime minister. Maybe it is time we honour and condem our history without money being spent wastefully on statues in public places. Time for change.

  This statue does not give me pleasure or pain, unlike others who have suffered by the action of our first prime minister. Maybe it is time we honour and condem our history without money being spent wastefully on statues in public places. Time for change.
• Share Take it down! It's not history! on Facebook Share Take it down! It's not history! on Twitter Share Take it down! It's not history! on Linkedin Email Take it down! It's not history! link

  Take it down! It's not history!

  by LFraser, over 5 years ago
  Stop glorifying racists like John A Macdonald with public statues.

  
  

  It's NOT history. Its glorification of a horribly racist man who is responsible for genocide. We dont need statues of him or any others like him.

  History is being made NOW

  Following Montréal, the writing is on the wall. Take them down! Or the will of the people will

  Stop glorifying racists like John A Macdonald with public statues.

  
  

  It's NOT history. Its glorification of a horribly racist man who is responsible for genocide. We dont need statues of him or any others like him.

  History is being made NOW

  Following Montréal, the writing is on the wall. Take them down! Or the will of the people will
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  Insulting

  by Amalie Churchill, over 5 years ago
  This statue glorifies a man whose ideologies, while common but not unanimous, led to him making decisions in government that directly contributed to genocide, death and immeasurable suffering. To keep this man's image prominent in our community is to send a message to Indigenous people that their culture is inferior. It perpetuates harmful beliefs which to this day cause harm and suffering. Its immediate removal is the only logical conclusion.

  This statue glorifies a man whose ideologies, while common but not unanimous, led to him making decisions in government that directly contributed to genocide, death and immeasurable suffering. To keep this man's image prominent in our community is to send a message to Indigenous people that their culture is inferior. It perpetuates harmful beliefs which to this day cause harm and suffering. Its immediate removal is the only logical conclusion.
• Share Removing the statue is the first step County Council needs to take on Facebook Share Removing the statue is the first step County Council needs to take on Twitter Share Removing the statue is the first step County Council needs to take on Linkedin Email Removing the statue is the first step County Council needs to take link

  Removing the statue is the first step County Council needs to take

  by Elis ziegler, over 5 years ago
  Thank you for giving the opportunity to contribute the the discussion, and hopefully decision, on the placement of the Holding Court statue. Canada, as a white dominant society and government, is at another crossroads in its evolution - which is the capacity to address the consequences of its actions. This applies to all levels of government, which must walk the walk. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations are clear, our role in the harm done to the first inhabitants of this land and our collective conscience all say we must actively take new steps toward recognizing our past. County residents... Continue reading

  Thank you for giving the opportunity to contribute the the discussion, and hopefully decision, on the placement of the Holding Court statue. Canada, as a white dominant society and government, is at another crossroads in its evolution - which is the capacity to address the consequences of its actions. This applies to all levels of government, which must walk the walk. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations are clear, our role in the harm done to the first inhabitants of this land and our collective conscience all say we must actively take new steps toward recognizing our past. County residents have expressed their concern for the continued placement of the Holding Court statue on Main Street Picton resulting in the Working Group and this consultation. County Council needs to recognize its own place, take leadership, and remove the statue. Removing the statue tells its voters and residents that the subject of the statue, that of a major figure in the genocide of people who lived here, in the name of prosperity of white-skinned settlers, is not appropriate in a prominent location. County Council sends messages everyday in the policy it creates, and decisions it makes. Send the right message to your voters, and make the only right decision. Relocate the statue. Better yet, replace it with one created by an Indigenous artist.
• Share Discovering our shared history together on Facebook Share Discovering our shared history together on Twitter Share Discovering our shared history together on Linkedin Email Discovering our shared history together link

  Discovering our shared history together

  by Scott Shortly, over 5 years ago

  To the "Holding Court" Statue Working Group, or To Whom it May Concern,

  I would like to acknowledge and honour the land on which we reside and occupy as part of the traditional territories of the Huron Wendat, Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee Peoples. These Indigenous Nations, agreed to mutually sharing obligations and responsibilities as stewards of the land and water which is protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement. Today these responsibilities and obligations extend to all Peoples. These lands are steeped in rich Indigenous history, traditions and modern cultures that are proud and vibrant.

  (I offer this opening... Continue reading

  To the "Holding Court" Statue Working Group, or To Whom it May Concern,

  I would like to acknowledge and honour the land on which we reside and occupy as part of the traditional territories of the Huron Wendat, Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee Peoples. These Indigenous Nations, agreed to mutually sharing obligations and responsibilities as stewards of the land and water which is protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement. Today these responsibilities and obligations extend to all Peoples. These lands are steeped in rich Indigenous history, traditions and modern cultures that are proud and vibrant.

  (I offer this opening being mindful of broken covenants and the need to strive to make right with all our relations and traditions once respected and practiced between our peoples.)

  I would like to start by commending the efforts of your group and the awareness of the Prince Edward Heritage Advisory Committee and Council regarding this imperative and comprehensive matter. I deeply believe this process is an essential passage towards a more profound truth of our collective history as well as reconciliation - "an ongoing process of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships." (Summary of the Final Report, p.16). Having an authentic voice in the room discussing and sharing in this process with the Working Group is a sure sign that relationships are being honoured and respected and only positive outcomes will evolve from a deliberate intention such as that.

  My name is Scott Shortly and I currently work with the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board as a teacher in the Tyendinaga Territory at the Haudenosaunee Opportunity for Personalized Education School. H.O.P.E. is a satellite school for Eastside Secondary School that works closely with Kanien’kehá:ka youth at the high school level. Because of this, my formal education and the close relationships I have in Tyendinaga I share a deep interest in "getting this right" for both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Peoples with the ultimate goal of discovering our shared history together.

  The extent and content of Indigenous rights and what they mean to Canada continue to be disputed to this day, and the Non-Indigenous students I have taught and my own children who too are Non-Indigenous are noticing. Thus, it is incumbent upon us all to ensure that we seek out the truth and to demonstrate to our youth that we are willing to address a darker part of our past that we have inherited in order to facilitate a better future for them and their children. It is time that we acknowledge our responsibility and make more space to talk in our homes about change and compassion, instead of a continued colonial ideology. As Senator Murray Sinclair has affirmed, "Canada is in an age of reconciliation". With the ongoing events in various cities across Canada with Sir John A. MacDonald statues and school names, it is simply not enough to talk about Reconciliation, we must be prepared to question convention, learn from Indigenous customs and traditions, and risk doing things differently than our usual routines and processes.

  The statue of Sir John A. MacDonald for many represents a man who guided a government for the new Dominion, promoted higher tariffs to protect Canadian business interests by completing the "National Policy" of driving the railway to the Pacific. In fact he extended the right to vote for single women, widows and Indigenous Peoples. However, that new Dominion was built on the principle of terra nullius, that railway system displaced and attempted to assimilate everyone its its path, and the right to vote was extended to Indigenous Peoples only if they gave up their treaty rights and assimilated into the general politic of Canada. So this statue also represents systemic control, physical and ideological violence, and cycles of inequity which has lead to poverty and marginalization. As difficult as it is for some of us to wrap our minds around that I also believe that those notions do not represent the majority of what is in the hearts and minds of Canadians, yet here we are. It certainly has not eluded me that many feel by dismantling or re-contextualizing the venerated politician that we are threatening the preservation of part of our Canadian history. For those who are struggling with that I would like to offer two questions; What is our collective Canadian identity? Can we accomplish that understanding without the participation of Indigenous Peoples? I consider Canada and Canadians more than just hockey pucks, the maple leaf, and Tim Horton's double doubles eh. It is recognizing that our collective identity is a story, a collection of identities that are interwoven and it is critical that we hear from the original People of Turtle Island so we can learn more about ourselves and our shared histories.

  Currently, there is an opportunity for our region to be an exemplary model for the rest of Canada and the development of better relationships with our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters. It will most certainly garner the weight for future generations who will be learning about the choices we make now, and those who choose to live here and want to know more about the land that they live, work and play on.

  Sincerely,

  
  

  Scott Shortly
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  Get rid of it

  by James Sessford, over 5 years ago
  Maybe stick it in a museum if people are concerned with preserving history (we already have libraries and public education for that purpose though). His misdeeds should not be glorified with a public statue.

  Maybe stick it in a museum if people are concerned with preserving history (we already have libraries and public education for that purpose though). His misdeeds should not be glorified with a public statue.
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  Keep it

  by Lisa Conley, over 5 years ago
  Its a part of history and you cant toss history down the garbage shoot. We live and learn. Keep it.

  Its a part of history and you cant toss history down the garbage shoot. We live and learn. Keep it.
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  Asking the wrong people

  by Arwyn Carpenter, over 5 years ago
  I've read the T & R Commision's 10 Principals of Truth and Reconciliation. This statue does not serve the lives of FNIM people. Who do you think is going to answer this question? Do you think that Anishnaabe people whose were harmed directly, and who have inherited the trauma caused by the Indian Act are going to have their voices count in this discussion? I really wish it wasn't up to white people to decide what happens here.

  Thank you Miigwetch,

  Arwyn Carpenter

  I've read the T & R Commision's 10 Principals of Truth and Reconciliation. This statue does not serve the lives of FNIM people. Who do you think is going to answer this question? Do you think that Anishnaabe people whose were harmed directly, and who have inherited the trauma caused by the Indian Act are going to have their voices count in this discussion? I really wish it wasn't up to white people to decide what happens here.

  Thank you Miigwetch,

  Arwyn Carpenter
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  Time for a change

  by Andrew Schwab, over 5 years ago
  I think this statue represents the end of an era - or at least, I hope it does. Statues celebrate a person - they don't teach history. And in this case, the statue celebrates the life's work of a vicious racist who sought the extermination of Indigenous people people across Turtle Island. That this genocide was to further the cause of creating a whitewashed, colonial country on stolen land does nothing to justify his actions, and if anything further condemns the colonial nature of Canada's history.

  
  We owe it to Indigenous survivors of state-sponsored genocide to honour their pain, not... Continue reading

  I think this statue represents the end of an era - or at least, I hope it does. Statues celebrate a person - they don't teach history. And in this case, the statue celebrates the life's work of a vicious racist who sought the extermination of Indigenous people people across Turtle Island. That this genocide was to further the cause of creating a whitewashed, colonial country on stolen land does nothing to justify his actions, and if anything further condemns the colonial nature of Canada's history.

  
  We owe it to Indigenous survivors of state-sponsored genocide to honour their pain, not the people who caused it. Reconciliation starts here.
  
  I think an important thought experiment regarding this issue would be the idea of some Germanophiles fundraising for a statue of Hitler, to be erected in a public square. How would this make survivors of holocaust feel? The violence here is no different - only the skin colour of the victims and the wide spread acceptance of the actions by everyday Canadians is different.
  
  As a member of this community, to me this statue celebrates the very worst parts of Canadian history, and perpetuates real harm against the Indigenous people living across Turtle Island who deserve so much better.