“History is decided by the victors,” Sir Winston Churchill once said to make the valid point on the subjectivity of examining historical events through only one perspective.
While the consequences of historical events are evident decades or centuries later, the events themselves may be seen different ways by different people.
This idea is the crux of the debate behind the recent proposal by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, a union which represents more than 78,000 public school instructors, to strip the name of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister and a Father of Confederation, from schools and federal buildings across the province of Ontario.
They feel his involvement in the residential schools program is akin to “genocide,” and that he is not someone who should be emulated or immortalized as the namesake of public institutions.
It is absolutely bewildering but not entirely surprising that a proposal of this nature has surfaced. In wake of recent events south of the border whereby numerous statues commemorating historical figures such as Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis have been removed, there is a growing tide of opposition to polarizing figures here north of the 49th.
With this tide comes a call from those who want to follow in the footsteps of big brother U.S.A and remove statues of our own – and now the names of public schools -- that commemorate some of Canada's most influential figures. Sadly, the call seems to be growing louder and gaining steam.
What benefit is there to removing statues or stripping the name of pivotal individuals in Canada's history? Many of them held unpopular opinions that were par for the course for the time period in which they lived, and it is unfair and absurd to apply a 2017 lens to historical figures who lived years ago. They were simply a product of their time.
Without Sir John A. Macdonald there would be no Canada in which to have this debate in the first place. His vision of one united Canada “A mari usque ad mare” – from sea to sea – is arguably the most influential idea that crafted our country's identity. To remove his name from schools because he took actions that today's progressive society disagrees with is borderline heresy.
Societies grow and change, and so too does public opinion. Another apt proverb for this situation should be “do not look back – you aren't going that way.” That is, we should be worrying about moving our society forward, not erasing anything from the past that may polarize opinions.
Sir John A. Macdonald should remain immortalized – now and always – the father of our great nation.
Darlana Robertson is a twentysomething writer from Calgary and a former Central Alberta resident.
