Sir John A. Macdonald‘s gravesite at the Cataraqui Cemetery was vandalized around Canada Day last week.
Photos sent to Global News show the gravestone of Canada’s first prime minister covered in red paint and a monument that once held a plaque the words: “For all the pain you cause, burn in hell.”
The cemetery said it was discovered early on July 1.
The plaque that once stood on the monument was already removed by Parks Canada after being previously vandalized.
The vandalism has since been removed and has been reported to police, according to Cataraqui Cemetery.
Police say they are investigating the incident but currently have not identified anyone involved.
They ask anyone with information about the act of vandalism to contact Const. Bryan McMillan at 613-549-4660 # 6343 or via email at bmcmillan@kingstonpolice.ca
The gravesite will soon be home to the Macdonald’s statue, which was removed from City Park over two weeks ago amid growing calls to take it down.
Prior to its removal, a group of Indigenous people vowed to camp out by the statue until it was removed.
The renewed calls to reevaluate how Canada deals with Macdonald’s legacy came as hundreds of bodies of children were being discovered in unmarked graves at residential schools in western Canada. The discoveries continue to happen.
The pedestal that once held the statue still remains in City Park, and has itself been vandalized, but the city says it, too, will be removed July 16.
The city says it will be put into temporary storage in the coming weeks to prevent more vandalism.
Chief administrative officer Lanie Hurdle says the pedestal will remain stored until a decision has been made on its future use.
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