‘We have to deal with it’: Boarding around statue of Sir John A. Macdonald at Queen’s Park removed
Posted June 11, 2025 11:31 am.
Last Updated June 12, 2025 7:59 am.
The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald at Queen’s Park that’s been boarded up since it was vandalized in 2020 has been restored and was uncovered on Wednesday.
Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, has been dead for 134 years but the feelings his name and depiction continue to stir are still very much alive.
That became clear when the statue near the legislative buildings at Queen’s Park became the focus of anger back in 2020 and was vandalized by protestors who plastered it with paint.
A father of Confederation, some blamed Macdonald for his role in creating the residential school system. Across the country, his statues were defaced, and in some cases, permanently removed.
Trustees at York Regional District School Board even voted to rename Sir John A. Macdonald Public School as part of Indigenous reconciliation efforts.
But on May 2nd, the Legislative Assembly’s Board of Internal Economy, composed of MPPs from the three official parties, chose a different path, voting to clean the Queen’s Park statue, apply a protective coating, and uncover it to the public once again.
Donna Skelly, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, defended the decision when it was announced.
“Hoarding a statue hasn’t moved the needle,” she said late last month after the decision was official. “We have to deal with it. It is a part of our history, and hopefully we will be able to come to a resolution where First Nations do feel a part of this building.”
The statue was first erected in Toronto in 1894, three years after Macdonald’s death.
The boarding that covered its damaged condition featured a plaque that will now become a permanent fixture. It reads in part:
“Though we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind.
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is considering how the depictions of those histories in the monuments and statuary on the Assembly’s grounds can respect all of our diverse cultures and peoples.”
Skelly said she understands the conflicted feelings about the statue and welcomes peaceful protests, but said further vandalism won’t be tolerated.
“We do have 24/7 security here at Queen’s Park,” she said. “They will be focusing on the statue once the hoarding is removed.”
The Legislature’s only Indigenous member, NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa, called the decision to once again unveil the statue “a stab in the back.”
Mamakwa said he wasn’t notified in advance of the decision.
He offered an alternative solution.
“Take it to a museum,” he said. “Take it to a museum where it belongs. It’s good artwork, right? So take it over there.”
