Monuments and memorials in Canada removed in 2020–2022

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A number of monuments and memorials in Canada were removed or destroyed as a result of protests and riots between 2020 and 2022. These included six sculptures of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, three of other figures connected to the Canadian Indian residential school system (Alexander Wood, Egerton Ryerson and Joseph Hugonard), two of Canadian monarchs (Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II), one of the British explorer Captain James Cook and one of John Deighton ("Gassy Jack"), a bar-owner whose nickname inspired the name of Vancouver's Gastown district.

Contents

The initial protests in 2020 occurred in the context of the worldwide George Floyd protests, [1] which resulted in the widespread removal of monuments and memorials in the United States and other countries connected to systemic racism. In the spring of 2021, unmarked graves were discovered at the sites of several former residential schools.

List

Monument/memorialLocationProvinceRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalNotesRef.
A Canadian Conversation
Sir John A. Macdonald
Ruth Abernethy, 2015
Baden OntarioJul 27, 2020c.Sep 3, 2020Put into storage Wilmot Township Council voted on July 27 for the statue's immediate removal. [2]
[3]
[4]
Monument to Sir John A. Macdonald
George Edward Wade, 1895
Sir John A Macdonald Monument Montreal - 13.jpg Montreal QuebecAug 30, 2020Statue toppled and decapitated by protestersThe toppling occurred during a Defund the Police protest; the statue had been a target of vandalism in the past. After three years of hesitation, it was announced the statue would not be reinstated. [5]
[6] [7]
Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
Sonia de Grandmaison, 1966–1967
Macdonaldstat.jpg Regina SaskatchewanMar 31, 2021Apr 7, 2021Temporarily put into storage Regina City Council voted 7–4 to put the statue into storage while a new location is determined. [8]
[9]
Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
Mike Halterman, 2008
Charlottetown Prince Edward IslandMay 31, 2021Jun 1, 2021Formal removal by city councilFollowing the discovery of unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, First Nations protesters gathered for a vigil at the statue. Hours later, Charlottetown City Council voted to remove the statue. By 7am the next day, it was removed. [10]
[11]
Statue of Egerton Ryerson
Hamilton MacCarthy, 1887
Egerton Ryerson - Statue on Ryerson Campus 20051208.JPG Toronto OntarioJun 6, 2021After repeated vandalism, the statue was destroyed by protesters; pedestal and base removed by universityThe statue at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) was toppled and beheaded after a demonstration motivated by the 215 unmarked graves discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. University President Mohamed Lachemi announced that the statue "will not be restored or replaced". [12]
[13]
[14]
Holding Court
Sir John A. Macdonald
Ruth Abernethy, 2015
Picton OntarioJun 8, 2021Jun 9, 2021Formally put into storage by city councilThe council had voted to leave the statue in place in November 2020. In June 2021, it voted to remove the statue during an emergency session. In April 2022, it was decided to return the statue to its original donors, the Macdonald Project. [15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
George Edward Wade, 1895
Sir John A Macdonald statue (Kingston, Ontario) (2).jpg Kingston OntarioJun 16, 2021Jun 18, 2021Temporarily put into storageOn June 16, Kingston City Council voted 12–1 to relocate the statue from City Park. Plans to relocate the statue at Cataraqui Cemetery were eventually rejected by the cemetery's board, and as of August 2023, no final decision has been made. [19]
[20]
[21]
Monument to Joseph Hugonard
Charles Duncan McKechnie, 1927
Lebret SaskatchewanJun 17, 2021Jun 21, 2021Put into storageA protest camp had been set up at the site for some time until the Archdiocese of Regina agreed to the removal. The monument stands in a cemetery near the site of the Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School, which Hugonard helped found before becoming its first principal. There are no plans to install it elsewhere. [22]
[23]
[24]
Statue of Queen Victoria
George Frampton, 1904
Queen Victoria in front of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly - Winnipeg (cropped).jpg Winnipeg ManitobaJuly 1, 2021Toppled and beheaded by protestersDuring a protest on Canada Day, the statue outside the Manitoba Legislative Building was torn off its pedestal, splattered with red paint (which was also used to leave handprints on the pedestal) and beheaded. The head was thrown into the nearby Assiniboine River. Although initially the government intended to attempt repairing the monument, this was determined to not be possible. As of April 2023, no final decision has been made on whether to commission a new monument. [25]
[26]
[27]
[28]
Statue of James Cook
Derek and Patricia Freeborn, 1976 (after John Tweed, 1912)
Captain Cook Memorial, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.jpg Victoria British ColumbiaJul 1, 2021Toppled by protesters and thrown in nearby harbourOn the night of July 1, the statue was thrown into the Inner Harbour, and its pedestal covered in red handprints. A makeshift statue of a red dress commemorating missing and murdered Indigenous women was put up in its place. Hours later, a totem pole in Malahat (30km away) was set on fire, apparently in retaliation for the toppling of the statue. [29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
George Edward Wade, 1893
SirJohnStatueB (cropped).JPG Hamilton OntarioAug 14, 2021Toppled by protestersOn July 8, Hamilton City Council voted 12–3 not to remove the statue in Gore Park. The Hamilton Indigenous Unity rally took place on the steps of Hamilton City Hall on August 14 to protest against this decision. After the rally, the protesters marched to Gore Park and toppled the statue. As of June 2023, plan existed to return the statue. [33]
[34]
Statue of John Deighton ("Gassy Jack")
Vern Simpson, 1970
Vancouver Gastown Gassy Jack cropped.jpg Vancouver British ColumbiaFeb 14, 2022Feb 14, 2022Toppled by protestersToppled during the annual Women's Memorial March. Deighton married a 12-year-old Squamish girl. [35]

[36]

Statue of Alexander Wood
Del Newbigging, 2005
Statue of Alexander Wood, Alexander Street, Toronto, Canada IMG 5696.jpg Toronto OntarioApr 4, 2022Removed and destroyedOn June 8, 2021, the Church Wellesley Village Business Improvement Area (CWVBIA), which originally installed the statue, called for it to be removed. The CWVBIA removed and destroyed the statue on April 4, 2022. [37]
[38]

Restored monuments

Monument/memorialLocationProvinceRemoval announcedRemovedReturnedNotesRef.
Statue of Queen Elizabeth II
Leo Mol, 1970
Winnipeg ManitobaJuly 1, 2021
Toppled by protesters
June 2, 2023Toppled in the same protest as that in which the statue of Queen Victoria was felled. [26]
[39]

See also

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References

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  2. "A Canadian Conversation – Prime Minister Statues Project". Ruth Abernethy. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
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  8. Atter, Heidi (April 13, 2021). "Sir John A. Macdonald statue removed from Regina's Victoria Park". CBC. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  9. "Downtown Regina Public Art Guide" (PDF). Regina: Regina Downtown Business Improvement District. 2014. p. 14. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  10. Ross, Shane (May 12, 2021). "Sir John A. sculptor says adding Indigenous figure would make 'pretty neat piece'". CBC. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
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  21. Ferguson, Elliott (August 31, 2023). "No plan yet for Kingston's Sir John A. statue". The Kingston Whig-Standard . Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  22. Hustak, Alan (June 18, 2021). "RC Archdiocese agrees to relocate Hugonard statue". Herald-Sun. p. 5.
  23. Salloum, Alec (June 21, 2021). "Statue of Father Hugonard removed, placed in storage, says Archdiocese". Regina Leader-Post . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
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  38. "The Alexander Wood Statue In Toronto's Gay Village Has Been Destroyed". In Magazine. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
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