City to remove Sir John A. Macdonald Statue

City to remove Sir John A. Macdonald Statue
Posted on 05/31/2021
At a special meeting of the City Council on May 31, 2021, Councillor Julie McCabe introduced a resolution, at the request of Councillor Greg Rivard, that the statue, currently located on the corner of Queen Street and Richmond Street, be removed from its current location. The resolution, which passed by a unanimous vote, also rescinds the resolution of May 10, that recommended the City of Charlottetown move forward with five recommendations provided by Epekwitk Assembly of Councils.

"On May 10, I was fully in support of proceeding with the five recommendations. But with recent events, along with many conversations with constituents, community leaders and stakeholders, I have come to realize that this was a mistake. Nothing short of removing the statue permanently should be considered acceptable, so I am glad to see Council affirm this with tonight's vote, and I apologize to those who were hurt in this process," said Councillor Greg Rivard, who had requested Councillor McCabe amend her original resolution to remove the statue.

The Sir John A. Macdonald statue has been the topic of numerous Council and committee meetings over the past number of months. Councillor Julie McCabe, chair of the Economic Development, Tourism and Events Management committee, had initially brought forward a motion that would have seen the statue removed from the corner, but only until it is sent away for its proposed alterations.

"I am happy with the decision. I want to echo Councillor Rivard's acknowledgement that, at the time, I was fully in support of the five recommendations, and I am sorry to say that it took such a horrendous revelation to change our minds. But I hope that real, meaningful reconciliation with our Indigenous partners and allies can happen through this process. I know it took longer than many think it should have, and I know some will say this came too late, but I hope that we can come together as a City and as a Province and move forward towards true reconciliation with our Indigenous communities," said Councillor McCabe.

An exact date has not been set for the statue’s removal. Discussion with the Public Works department on required components for the move, including storage space, is expected to begin tomorrow.