Monuments and memorials in Canada removed in 2020–2021

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A number of monuments and memorials in Canada were removed as a result of protests in 2020 and 2021. These included six sculptures of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, two of other figures connected to the Canadian Indian residential school system (Egerton Ryerson and ), two of British monarchs (Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II) and one of the British explorer Captain James Cook.

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 connected to systemic racism. In the spring of 2021, unmarked graves were discovered at the sites of several former residential schools.

Monument/memorial Location Province Removal announced Removed Means of removal Notes Ref.
A Canadian Conversation
Sir John A. Macdonald
Ruth Abernethy, 2015 		Baden Ontario Jul 27, 2020 c. Sep 3, 2020 Put 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 Quebec — Aug 30, 2020 Statue toppled and decapitated by protesters The toppling occurred during a Defund the Police protest; the statue had been a target of vandalism in the past. [5]
[6]


Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
Sonia de Grandmaison, 1966–1967 		Macdonaldstat.jpg Regina Saskatchewan Mar 31, 2021 Apr 7, 2021 Temporarily put into storage Regina City Council voted 7–4 to put the statue into storage while a new location is determined. [7]
[8]


Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
Mike Halterman, 2008 		Charlottetown Prince Edward Island May 31, 2021 Jun 1, 2021 Formal removal by city council Following 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. [9]
[10]


Statue of Egerton Ryerson
Hamilton MacCarthy, 1887 		Egerton Ryerson - Statue on Ryerson Campus 20051208.JPG Toronto Ontario — Jun 6, 2021 Toppled and beheaded by protesters The statue at 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". [11]
[12]
[13]


Holding Court
Sir John A. Macdonald
Ruth Abernethy, 2015 		Picton Ontario Jun 8, 2021 Jun 9, 2021 Formally put into storage by city council The council had voted to leave the status in place in November 2020. In June 2021, it voted to remove the statue during an emergency session. The statue was put into storage until its fate could be decided. [14]
[15]
[16]
Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
George Edward Wade, 1895 		Sir John A Macdonald statue (Kingston, Ontario) (2).jpg Kingston Ontario Jun 16, 2021 Jun 18, 2021 Temporarily put into storage On June 16, Kingston City Council voted 12–1 to relocate the statue from City Park. The city will consult with local First Nations communities and Cataraqui Cemetery on relocating the statue at Macdonald's grave in the cemetery. [17]


Monument to Joseph Hugonard
Charles Duncan McKechnie, 1927 		Lebret Saskatchewan Jun 17, 2021 Jun 21, 2021 Put into storage A 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. [18]
[19]
[20]
Statue of Queen Victoria
George Frampton, 1904 		Queen Victoria in front of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly – Winnipeg.jpg Winnipeg Manitoba — July 1, 2021 Toppled and beheaded by protesters During 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. [21]
[22]
Statue of Queen Elizabeth II
Leo Mol, 1970 		Winnipeg Manitoba — July 1, 2021 Toppled by protesters Toppled in the same protest as that in which the statue of Queen Victoria was felled. The government plans to restore both statues. [22]
Statue of James Cook
Derek and Patricia Freeborn, 1976 (after John Tweed, 1912) 		Captain Cook Memorial, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.jpg Victoria British Columbia — Jul 1, 2021 Toppled by protesters and thrown in nearby harbour On 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 "disappeared" and assassinated Aboriginal 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. [23]
[24]
[25]
[26]


Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
George Edward Wade, 1893 		SirJohnStatueB (cropped).JPG Hamilton Ontario — Aug 14, 2021 Toppled by protesters On 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. [27]


See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Statue of Canada's first prime minister toppled by protesters demanding police defunding". Reuters. August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  2. ^ "A Canadian Conversation – Prime Minister Statues Project". Ruth Abernethy. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Sir John A. Macdonald Statue in Baden to be relocated". KitchenerToday.com. July 28, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Baden moved into storage". CBC News. September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Monument à Sir John A. Macdonald". City of Montreal. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Oduro, Kwabena (August 30, 2020). "Montreal city officials remove toppled statue of Sir John A. Macdonald". Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Atter, Heidi (April 13, 2021). "Sir John A. Macdonald statue removed from Regina's Victoria Park". CBC. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "Downtown Regina Public Art Guide" (PDF). Regina: Regina Downtown Business Improvement District. 2014. p. 14. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  9. ^ Ross, Shane (May 12, 2021). "Sir John A. sculptor says adding Indigenous figure would make 'pretty neat piece'". CBC. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  10. ^ Yarr, Kevin (June 1, 2021). "Sir John A. Macdonald statue quickly removed after Charlottetown council decision". CBC. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "Egerton Ryerson". Toronto Sculpture. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Saba, Rosa (June 6, 2021). "Protesters behead toppled statue of Egerton Ryerson following rally honouring residential school victims". thestar.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  13. ^ "Statue of Egerton Ryerson, toppled after Toronto rally, 'will not be restored or replaced'". CBC News. June 6, 2021. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021.
  14. ^ Allan, Michelle (June 8, 2021). "Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Picton, Ont., to be kept in storage". CBC News. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  15. ^ Bell, Bruce (June 9, 2021). "Macdonald statue removed from Picton's Main Street". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  16. ^ Capon, Sue (November 18, 2020). "Sir John will continue to hold court in front of Picton's library". Countylive.ca. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  17. ^ Goulem, Brigid (June 18, 2021). "Sir John A. Macdonald statue removed from City Park". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  18. ^ Hustak, Alan (June 18, 2021). "RC Archdiocese agrees to relocate Hugonard statue". Herald-Sun. p. 5.
  19. ^ Salloum, Alec (June 21, 2021). "Statue of Father Hugonard removed, placed in storage, says Archdiocese". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  20. ^ Lipski, Candica (June 24, 2021). "Statue of residential school priest taken down in Lebret, Sask". CBC News. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  21. ^ Harris, Gareth (July 2, 2021). "Crowds topple statues of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II in Winnipeg amid anger over deaths of Indigenous children". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Statues of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth toppled in Winnipeg on Canada Day". Winnipeg Sun. Canadian Press. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Captain James Cook". LandMarks Public Art. Capital Regional District. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  24. ^ "West Cliff, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, UK". Captain Cook Society. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  25. ^ Dickson, Courtney (July 2, 2021). "Protesters toss statue of explorer James Cook into Victoria harbour; totem pole later burned". CBC News. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  26. ^ Lambert, Steve (July 2, 2021). "Fête du Canada: Des statues renversées par des manifestants dans plusieurs villes". La Presse (in French). Canadian Press. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  27. ^ Draaisma, Muriel; Ng, Jessica (August 14, 2021). "Sir John A. Macdonald statue toppled in Hamilton park after hundreds attend rally, march". CBC News. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
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