\u201cI think that\u2019s a question of leadership \u2014 I\u2019m not sure why John A. Macdonald, our founding prime minister, is still in a box,\u201d Crombie said at a campaign stop on Feb. 11.<\/p>\n
Crombie acknowledged there were \u201cchallenges\u201d with Macdonald\u2019s legacy but argued the statue should still be put on display.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, I\u2019m feeling this wave of patriotism, especially what\u2019s happening when we\u2019re under threat of tariff wars and trade wars,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to stand up and be proud to be Canadian and celebrate everything Canadian \u2014 of course there are flaws.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Macdonald, alongside Egerton Ryerson, seen as the architect of Canada\u2019s residential school system, saw his name and likenesses removed around the country in 2020 as the country re-evaluated its history and the figures honoured.<\/p>\n
Around the same time, the City of Toronto decided to remove the name of Henry Dundas from the city\u2019s downtown Yonge-Dundas Square and students toppled a statute of Ryerson at Toronto Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n
Arnott \u2014 who can no longer decide the fate of the statue \u2014 said Canadians should study and learn from history.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo some degree, we\u2019re looking at these historical figures and we\u2019re holding them accountable \u2014 a century later,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly, if you compare what happened in 19th century Canada to today\u2019s values, mistakes were made, horrible mistakes were made. But we learn from history, that\u2019s why we study history and we resolve to do better in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Crombie has said the statue would be released if she were premier, members of the NDP and Progressive Conservatives have failed to come to a decision on the statue over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n
A Progressive Conservative campaign spokesperson suggested the party wanted to remove the box but the NDP had refused to agree. The NDP said the \u201cpremise\u201d of that allegation was \u201cconfusing\u201d because the decision has now been referred to another committee.<\/p>\n
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The committee it was referred to \u2014 the Procedure and House Affairs Committee \u2014 had a PC majority at dissolution, meaning it could have given its advice without needing to reach cross-party consensus.<\/p>\n
\u201cQueen\u2019s Park is the people\u2019s house, and the Ontario NDP will listen to people on their Legislature,\u201d the NDP said in response to a question asking if the statue would be removed from its box if their party formed government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll resume the consultations that we underway when this snap election was called and work together to make a decision about the future of this statue.\u201d<\/p>\n
The election will be held on Feb. 27.<\/p>\n\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n
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