TORONTO – The Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside the Ontario legislature is back in full view after spending the past five years in a box.
The statue of Canada’s first prime minister has been under hoarding since 2020, when it was vandalized with pink paint.
The monument was one of many that were targeted across the country amid anti-racism protests and as Canadians grappled with the history of residential schools.
Macdonald is considered an architect of the country’s notorious residential school system, which took Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them.
Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a non-partisan board of the legislative assembly agreed earlier this month on a motion to remove the hoarding after the statue is cleaned.
Speaker Donna Skelly says she recognizes the sensitivities surrounding Macdonald and welcomes Ontarians to come and share their views peacefully.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
