'Trigger warning' placed at foot of John A Macdonald statue in Toronto

The John A. Macdonald statue at Queen's Park in Toronto, which was wrapped up and hidden this summer during a wave of monument destruction in an effort to decolonize Canada, remains covered, though it now as a "trigger warning" plaque.

"The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is a place for debate and deliberation on issues that matter in our Province. Though we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind," the plaque reads.

"The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is considering how the depictions of those histories in the monuments and statuary on the Assembly's grounds can respect all of our diverse cultures and peoples," it concludes.

A similar "trigger warning" was placed at the statue of John A. Macdonald in Regina's Victoria Park.

The Queen's Park statue had previously been vandalized with pink paint.

The Macdonald statue was wrapped after a similar statue in Montreal was toppled in the city's Place du Canada.

Statues of Macdonald have been the topic of heated discussion across Canada, with some MPs even advocating for their removal.

NDP MP Sol Mamakwa wrote in Maclean's this summer: "As I walk on the grounds of Queen's Park, I am greeted by Sir John A. Macdonald's statue. I see him pointing. At what? Is he pointing at me? Or is he pointing at our Indigenous land; the land that has sustained our people for millennia; the land he helped take from us."

In October, Queens University announced its intentions to remove Sir John A. Macdonald's name from their law school.

"This decision is grounded in the university's present-day academic mission and commitment to honour the values of equity, diversity, and inclusivity and to ensure all students, faculty, and staff feel welcome within the Queen's community," said the school's dean.