Halifax Mayor Mike Savage is speaking out about a planned event for Saturday to remove the Edward Cornwallis statue from downtown Halifax.
A Facebook Group called “Removing Cornwallis” is inviting people to Cornwallis Park at noon on July 15 to “peacefully remove” the statue.
Savage says the municipality is aware there is a protest planned for Saturday and that the purpose of the event is to “forcibly remove the statue of Edward Cornwallis from the park that bears his name.”
Savage says any action to remove the statue is not condoned by the Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi’kmaq Chiefs, by the bands that have land within HRM.
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“It is true that many Mi’kmaq people, Indigenous people, and others of all backgrounds disagree with the continued presence of Edward Cornwallis on a pedestal in a public park. I understand this position and am committed to a resolution of this situation,” Savage said in a written statement released Tuesday afternoon.
“To that end, Council voted 15-1 on April 25 to seek an expert panel, inclusive of Mi’kmaq voices, to recommend an appropriate way forward for what has become a polarizing issue in this community. Removal of the statue and the renaming of the park, must be among the considerations for the panel as well as for Council.”
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Savage says he thinks people “should open ourselves to other possibilities”.
“Is there a way to tell our whole shared history in this park? Can a park be a place where we reconcile our past with a new way forward in the spirit of reconciliation? If Mi’kmaq activists and their supporters take down the Cornwallis statue before we are given an opportunity to cooperatively forge a better way forward, we will set back progress that is already being made,” he said.
Savage says he is committed to furthering the relationship with the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia, as is HRM Council, which is why they adopted a Statement of Reconciliation.
“I believe it is crucial for all citizens of HRM that we have a new relationship, and as Mayor I will be an advocate for these issues. It matters deeply to me,” Savage said.
“The municipality and its partners in policing will not stand in the way of legitimate public protest, nor will we condone violent action in the place of real dialogue”
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