Recently, Victoria’s Mayor and city Council, in the name of reconciliation with First Nations peoples, decided to remove the statue of Alexander A. McKenzie from the front of the city hall and replace it with a plaque commemorating his achievements while abhorring him as the “Father of Pain”.
Interesting.
I understand their motivation. Reconciliation with First Nations people has been a difficult and controversial path. I’m a big believer in open dialogue and sharing stories as a healing process. This is an important and necessary goal wherein we work together to honour and support all members of Canada’s truly unique multicultural mosaic.
Yes, Victoria’s Mayor and Council may have had the right motivation, yet their process was completely antithetical to all Canadian values. Their actions had exactly the opposite effect of advancing open dialogue, and they set one culture’s wishes above all others. They thought they knew better than the citizens of Victoria, and they created a firestorm of divisive anger.
Worst of all, they snuck around behind our backs! They claim to have carefully deliberated through due process, but I seriously question their honesty. How likely is it that council could vote on Thursday and arrange to have the statue ticketed for removal by Saturday? Since when does government move that fast? I think it is far more likely the decision was made well in advance, outside of due process and they deliberated plans to remove the statue weeks beforehand. Then our elected city leaders used the cover of night to complete a cowardly act. They instructed work crews to show up at 5:00 am to hack Canada’s first Prime Minister down from his place of honour.
Outrage was immediate.
Well known Victoria Realtor® Chuck Meagher was one of many concerned citizens who immediately sent a letter to Mayor and Council advising them that “they have driven a wedge into our community.”
“Something is very wrong with the decisions and process Mayor and Council are subjecting Victoria’s residents and voters to, where they allow more debate and community input on a simple rezoning or property variance application than they do for one of the most important social Issue we have ever had to deal with in Canada during our life times.”
Even Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission spoke out against the act stating it was “counterproductive to reconciliation because it almost smacks of revenge or smacks of acts of anger.”
For our city leaders to do this without due process, without any consultation is a deplorable act with only one positive consequence. It will finally shine a bright light on how Mayor Lisa Helps and the current Council are comporting themselves as our employees.
I, for one, plan to fire a good number of them in the next election.
Mathieu Powell I President
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Main Office: 778-425-4644 Sales: 250-516-6287
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