Macdonald Monument

Reassessments of Macdondald's role in Canadian history, particularly his assimilationist policies toward Indigenous Canadians and racist views of Asian immigrants,[1] led to statues of Macdonald being removed and sometimes vandalized in other cities in the first decades of the 21st century.[2] Since 2017, the Monument has itself been subjected to repeated vandalism, and was painted blue during an Extinction Rebellion protest.[3]

In the midst of the 2020 protests against racism and police brutality, which took place worldwide in solidarity with those following the murder of George Floyd while in police custody, and the removal of Confederate Army statues in the United States, Canadian cities have seen a rise in calls to remove Macdonald statues, and those of others linked to Canada's colonial legacy.[4] Early in June, it was reported that the Monument was on a list of 15 statues across Canada subject to petition for removal,[5] with a Change.org petition in Montreal calling for the Monument's removal having garnered 2,100 signatures as of 8 June.[6] On 29 August 2020, during a defund the police protest, the statue in the monument was vandalized, toppled and inadvertently decapitated. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante condemned the actions and said the city plans to restore the statue.[7] Three years later however, on 30 August 2023, the decision was eventually taken to follow a committee recommandation and not reinstate the statue; the statue will still be restored and relocated to a new site with a plaque.[8]