In a broadside against the tide of political correctness that has seen statues removed and buildings renamed over the past several years, Andrew Scheer promised that a Conservative government would honour Canada’s past, warts and all.
“Because I believe Canada’s history should always be celebrated. Now is it perfect? Of course not. But we must never allow political correctness to erase what made us who we are,” Scheer told reporters in Ottawa Monday, ahead of the federal leaders’ debate.
“We can and we should celebrate the giants of our history, like Macdonald, Mackenzie King and Laurier.”
Scheer also promised to make all of Canada’s national museums free to the public and “designate the grave sites of past prime ministers and governors general as national historic sites.”
The push to sanitize Canadian history got a bump under the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau, which renamed Langevin Block – where the prime minister and Privy Council operate – to the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council.
Trudeau made the Langevin announcement on National Indigenous Peoples Day in 2017, a moniker which he also changed from National Aboriginal Day; presenting both as reconciliation gestures.
In addition to being a founding father of Canada, Hector Langevin served as attorney general, postmaster general, secretary of state and superintendent general of Indian Affairs, where he contrived the residential school system that displaced thousands of aboriginal children, many of whom fell victim to abuse.
Langevin served under then-Prime Minister John A. Macdonald who described Indigenous Canadians as "savages" who should “acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men”; one of a litany from the 19th century leader’s opinions on solving what he called “the Indian problem.”
Shortly after Trudeau’s Indigenous Day proclamation, a call to strip the country’s first PM’s name from the nation’s schools was spearheaded by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.
At the time, the union described Macdonald as “an architect of genocide against Indigenous peoples” and therefore “his namesake buildings can contribute to an unsafe space to learn and to work.”
EFTO’s demand was never acted upon, but it stirred much debate. Forced to weigh in, then-Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne acknowledged Macdonald was “far from perfect” but ultimately disagreed that his name should be whitewashed from schools.
Next stop for the history sanitizers was Halifax.
There a statue of the city’s founder, Lieutenant General Edward Cornwallis – who paid bounties for Mi’kmaw scalps in 18th century British efforts to clear the peninsula for settlement – became flashpoint in the Nova Scotia capital for detractors and those who wanted the statue to stay.
Ultimately, Halifax regional council voted overwhelmingly to remove Cornwallis’ monument, which occurred at the end of January 2018.
On the other side of the country, the anti-John A. Macdonald movement was gaining traction with Victoria City Council and by August 11, 2018, council had voted for and removed Canada’s first prime minister from the city hall steps.
Opinions on the removal were far from unanimous and spurred a host of indignant letters to Trudeau that The Post Millennial obtained through access to information. The following is a sampling of writers expressing both criticism of Victoria City Council’s decision and the PM’s lack of response.
“Your silence about the removal of the statue…is shameful,” writes one on September 4. “As a Prime Minister, the defence of Canada’s history is one of your responsibilities…you should know that history must be taught in the context of the period it represents.”
Another writes the same day that, “I can’t begin to share my disbelief and disgust when unilaterally some one has the power to remove a historical statue…if we are going to go back in history and tear apart, bit by bit, each and every Prime Minister will we be able to retain the great endeavours each has done for the country?”
And in a shorter letter, one writer gets straight to the point: “This is gross insult to Canadian history. Without the historic deeds of this great man, Victoria B.C. would be a backwater US town.”
And Scheer’s comments in Ottawa this morning are very much in synch with these letter writers, as the Conservative leader noted, “despite those who wish to sweep some of these leaders under the rug, they have left their mark not only on our country, but on the entire world and they are worthy of honour and respect.”
“We can look to the past, acknowledge and learn from our mistakes and celebrate achievements at the same time,” said Scheer. “If we look back on our history and our leaders and only see the blemishes, we miss out on a beautiful story of a country that has progressed into one of the safest, freest and most prosperous in the world.”
How Scheer’s take on Canadian history will resonate with voters remains to be seen.
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