Sir John A Macdonald
Sir John A Macdonald
The City of Kingston acknowledges that we are on the traditional homeland of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat, and thanks these nations for their care and stewardship over this shared land.
Today, the City is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.
The City’s work on the projects Engage for Change: YGK Reconciliation Journey and Your Stories, Our Histories have occurred in tandem and have created opportunities for dialogue regarding the history and legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald, especially in a Kingston context.
Given that Kingston is widely recognized as Sir John A. Macdonald’s hometown, it is uniquely positioned to engage with its history from a local perspective and in ways that may resonate nationally as well. It is in that context that the following actions were supported by Council on July 8, 2020 as opportunities to begin engaging with history in ways that are more equitable, diverse and inclusive and that celebrate the history of Indigenous Peoples and reframes how we share the history of the City of Kingston and the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territories on which it is built. Read the full Council Report; Update, 'Your Stories, Our Histories' Project and Strategies to Manage and Interpret the History and Legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald.
Action 1: Replace the book plaques adjacent to the monument to Sir John A. Macdonald in City Park and Engine 1095 in Confederation Park with interim notices in their place that indicate new text is under development to tell a more complete and inclusive account of their histories in a Kingston context.
Action 2: Form a working group, led by First Peoples Group and supported by staff, that includes both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members, representing a diversity of perspectives, to develop text that addresses issues specific to the history and legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald in Kingston that can be shared online and on-site through the City of Kingston website and in relation to local landmarks managed by the City of Kingston.
Action 3: Add a land recognition statement, developed by the local Indigenous community, to the City of Kingston website and to all City of Kingston e-mail signatures.
Action 4: Confirm the City’s support to name the Third Crossing in a way to reflect and celebrate the stories and contributions of Indigenous communities in this region, both past and present.
There is still significant work to be done but much has been achieved in five years, since 2015, when the City marked the bicentennial of Sir John A. Macdonald and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission published its report. The ‘Your Stories, Our Histories’ project provided a critical opportunity to consult with the Kingston community and to ask difficult questions. These actions, endorsed by Council, provide initial opportunities for the City to address issues specific to the history and legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald in Kingston, and how that history and the legacies that resulted, impact people today as conversations around systemic racism and the negative impacts of colonial policies and practices have become more urgent.
Sir John A Statue Update - June 2021
Watch the City Council meeting considering the Sir John A. Macdonald statue.
Future public meetings and opportunities for input will be shared online at getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca and additional information will be posted as it is made available. This engagement will be guided with the help of the Sir John A. Macdonald History and Legacy Working Group
Engagement Overview
Community consultation was undertaken with help from the consulting team at First Peoples Group. As consultants, they specialize in offering inclusive engagement and facilitation practices and have worked with all levels of government across Canada. They also offer expertise supporting community education on cultural topics and leading conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation with a focus on consensus building. The involvement of First Peoples Group has been invaluable.
Between September 2018 and December 2019 various mechanisms were put in place to formally gather public input about Sir John A. Macdonald and his legacy today. That included setting up tables at community events to engage with the public and providing feedback cards as part of a re-installation of the Sir John A. Macdonald Room in City Hall. Input was also sought online through the City of Kingston’s Get Involved platform that likewise sought to gather input related to Sir John A. Macdonald, his history, his relationship to Kingston and his legacies as well as possible next steps that could be taken to develop and share a more inclusive and complete overview and assessment of his life, his politics and his impacts in Kingston and across Canada today. Additional input was also gathered as part of the ‘Your Stories, Our Histories’ project that engaged more than 1,000 people in 2019.
Sir John A. 360° Panel Discussion
One of the largest engagement events undertaken as part of the community consultation around the history and legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald was the panel discussion held at the Grand Theatre on September 17, 2019. The event featured three prominent Canadian writers, historians, educators and thought leaders offering their perspectives on how to understand, interpret and relate to the history of Sir John A. Macdonald. An audio recording of the event is currently available online via YouTube.
This panel discussion was inspired by a series of articles published in the February 2020 edition of Canada’s History magazine written by the speakers, Charlotte Gray, Christopher Moore and Lee Maracle. Their contributions to Canada’s History magazine provided each of the writers with an opportunity to reflect on how best to approach Sir John A. Macdonald as a historical figure, key to the founding of Canada, who is now the centre of much controversy and debate. These writers were asked to share their thoughts as part of the Sir John A. 360° panel discussion and to consider how Kingston as a community might position Macdonald in relation to the development of the city, the development of Canada as a nation and the impacts of his legacies that continue to resonate today, both positively and negatively.
The panel discussion also served as a lead-in to two community workshops through which residents participated in roundtable discussions designed to generate specific ideas around how best to address, interpret and share the history and legacy of Macdonald in a Kingston context for the benefit of residents and visitors.
Common Comments and Recurring Themes
A number of common comments and recurring themes emerged because of the engagement opportunities connected to the ‘Your Stories, Our Histories’ project and ‘Sir John A. 360°’ in particular. These have been summarized below:
- Truth and reconciliation requires that people educate themselves and others about Indigenous culture and history, including the trauma and legacy of residential schools and the Indian Act, and to be aware of other issues like immigration and detainment policies that have impacted a broader population of Canadians;
- There is a desire to present and interpret history in a more balanced way and to include additional viewpoints, perspectives and authorities;
- The past needs to be understood in the context of the present;
- Many people connect with Sir John A. Macdonald as a nation builder and want to acknowledge the good that has resulted from his efforts in that regard; and
- Sir John A. Macdonald needs to be understood as a product of his time.
These themes and the consultations from which they arose were critical in the development of immediate actions as highlighted that respond to the history and legacy of John A. Macdonald. These recommendations are intended to rebalance the historical narrative in Kingston and demonstrate the desire to act in response to issues specific to Sir John A. Macdonald as well as systemic racism, colonialism and the need for reconciliation in Canada more broadly.
Additional Work and Next Steps
The four actions will move forward alongside of additional work the City of Kingston is continuing in partnership with the community to strengthen relations with Indigenous peoples and to ensure Indigenous experiences are acknowledged and included as a vital part of Kingston’s history and identity. Many of these efforts are being pursued in the context of ‘Engage for Change’. The list below highlights at a high level work currently underway in the context of ‘Engage for Change’ that were shared with Council for their review and approval earlier this year as part of Update Report, Engage for Change: #YGK Reconciliation Journey, Phase II Review and Phase III Proposal.
- Support for an Interim Indigenous Community Centre/Gathering Space
- Development of a Relationship Protocol between Host Nations and the City of Kingston
- Support for the formation of an Indigenous-led Community Council/Advisory Committee
- A City Hall meeting space to be renamed and appropriately decorated in consultation with the local Indigenous community
- The Market Wing Renovation at City Hall to include an installation on local Indigenous Culture and Indigenous history led by an Indigenous Curator
- Policy on the Use of Traditional Medicines on City-owned Property
- Cultural awareness training, community and City of Kingston Council and staff
- Community Resources Website and Events Calendar
- Ongoing support for community led programming and events