A public panel was held on Tuesday night at the Grand Theatre to discuss how Sir John A. Macdonald’s history has affected Kingston.
The City of Kingston is involving the public in a series of events which will allow people to offer their opinion on Sir. John A Macdonald and how the controversy surrounding his legacy impacts Kingston.
The city set up a panel discussion at the Grand Theatre on Tuesday evening. The panelists who spoke included Canadian historical writers Christopher Moore, Charlotte Gray and Lee Maracle.
They addressed the current path to reconciliation with Indigenous people and how Canada can learn from mistakes made in the past.
“I’d rather see us commit ourselves to the better path and make it come true rather than to bury the evidence,” says Moore.
During the question-and-answer session that followed, some people suggested recognizing the Indigenous people who suffered rather than remove what’s left of Macdonald’s legacy, including his statue.
“Today,” Gray said, “we have to balance the more egregious aspects of Macdonald’s legacy against his achievements,”
Moore, meanwhile, says that Sir John A. Macdonald will always remain a part of Canadian history.
However, it is the responsibility of Canadians to learn from the parts of his legacy that no-one wants to see repeated, he said.
WATCH: (June 26, 2019) Parks Canada working to address Sir John A. Macdonald history at Bellevue House
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