John A. MacDonald paints the town. (Or the town paints him!)

Dear Friends: Catherine McKenna, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, said Wednesday she has tasked the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada with addressing concerns around historic figures like John A. Macdonald, while adding that you "can't erase history." The minister responsible for Parks Canada says tearing down statues is not the solution when it comes to addressing the darker side of Canadian history.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has asked the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to look at how to address concerns with historical figures like Sir John A. Macdonald, whose role in establishing residential schools has made him a polarizing figure in reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples.

Some poeople have tried to equate our statues with Confederate monuments down in the States but we must point out that this is comparing apple to oranges in the most extreme sense!

Yes, John A. was ONE of the architects of the Residential School System (Which, in spite of the hype, wasn't all bad!) among a whole list of issues and achievments he addressed during his time in office........, while the Confederate monuments were strictly about slavery and shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath!

McKenna’s perspective seems in keeping with the recommendation of Sen. Murray Sinclair, the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, who has suggested that tearing down statues is “counterproductive” to reconciliation because it “smacks of revenge.”

Whatever the outcome, Sir John was not a one trick pony and shouldn't be painted with that broad a brush about one of the more contentious issues in our history!

The way I see it anyway!

 (A statue of Sir John A. Macdonald is seen after being vandalized in Montreal today!)